dbcve.org
IllustratorApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-25859

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 27.3.1 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Illustrator version 26.5.2 (and earlier) and 27.2.0 (and earlier) are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Adobe Illustrator versions 26.5.2 and earlier and 27.2.0 and earlier contain an improper input validation vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a maliciously crafted file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Illustrator to the latest patched version. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected files from unknown sources.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
IllustratorApplication
Affected:<= 26.5.2>= 27.0.0, < 27.3.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Adobe Illustrator is installed
    Check for Adobe Illustrator in the system. On Windows, look in Program Files or Program Files (x86) for an Adobe Illustrator folder. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Illustrator.app.
    Affected if Adobe Illustrator is present on the system
  2. Locate the installed version number
    On Windows, right-click the Adobe Illustrator executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Product Version. On macOS, right-click Adobe Illustrator.app, select Get Info, and view the Version field. Alternatively, open Illustrator and go to Help > About Adobe Illustrator.
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or the software is not installed
  3. Compare against affected version ranges
    Review the found version number against the affected ranges: versions 26.5.2 or earlier, OR versions 27.0.0 through 27.3.0. Note that version 27.3.1 and later are not affected.
    Affected if The installed version is 26.5.2 or lower, OR is 27.0.0 through 27.3.0 (inclusive)
  4. Assess exposure to untrusted files
    Determine if the system or users routinely open Illustrator files from untrusted or unknown sources, as exploitation requires a user to open a maliciously crafted file.
    Affected if Users routinely open files from untrusted or unknown sources without verification

A user is affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed with a version number that falls within 26.5.2 or lower, or between 27.0.0 and 27.3.0 inclusive, and the system handles files from untrusted sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 27.3.1 or later
Fixed in 27.3.1
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Illustrator to the latest patched version. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Illustrator 27.3.1 or later (or the latest available version)

  1. Verify the current Adobe Illustrator version by opening Illustrator and navigating to Help > About Adobe Illustrator
  2. Close Adobe Illustrator and any Adobe Creative Cloud applications
  3. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
  4. Navigate to the Apps or Updates section
  5. Find Adobe Illustrator in the available updates
  6. Click Update or Install to upgrade to version 27.3.1 or later
  7. Once the update completes, restart Illustrator and confirm the version shows 27.3.1 or higher via Help > About Adobe Illustrator
Caveat Security update; back up custom presets and settings before updating as a general precaution

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Illustrator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,570
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,512.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-25859 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data