dbcve.org
IllustratorApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-25861

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 out-of-bounds write 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 contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability where improper bounds checking when parsing file data allows memory to be written beyond allocated buffers. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when a victim opens a maliciously crafted file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Illustrator to the latest patched version and avoid opening files from untrusted or 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. Check if Adobe Illustrator is installed
    On Windows, look in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [Version] or check Programs and Features. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Illustrator.app
    Affected if Adobe Illustrator is present on the system
  2. Find the installed Illustrator version number
    Windows: Right-click the application in Programs and Features, select Properties, then look at the Version field. Or open Illustrator and go to Help > About Illustrator. macOS: Right-click Adobe Illustrator.app in Applications, select Get Info, and check the Version field.
    Affected if A version number is displayed
  3. Compare the installed version against affected ranges
    Check if the installed version is either 26.5.2 or lower, OR falls between 27.0.0 and 27.3.0 (inclusive). Note: Version 27.3.1 and later are patched.
    Affected if Version is <= 26.5.2 OR (version >= 27.0.0 AND version < 27.3.1)
  4. Identify the exploitation trigger condition
    The vulnerability is triggered when Illustrator parses a maliciously crafted file. Check recent file openings or pending untrusted files in the system.
    Affected if A user has opened or attempts to open a specially crafted file in Illustrator

The environment is affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed with a version that is either 26.5.2 or lower, or between 27.0.0 and 27.3.0 inclusive, and a user opens a malicious file.

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 and avoid opening files from untrusted or unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Illustrator 27.3.1 or later

  1. Navigate to Adobe's official download page at helpx.adobe.com or use the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
  2. Download Adobe Illustrator version 27.3.1 or later (or the latest available version)
  3. Close any running instances of Adobe Illustrator
  4. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation
  5. Restart the application after installation completes
  6. Verify the installed version by going to Help > About Adobe Illustrator

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

Fix this in Illustrator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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-2023-25861 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