dbcve.org
Creative CloudApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-26358

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.10 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
Creative Cloud version 5.9.1 (and earlier) is affected by an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability that might allow attackers to execute their own programs, access unauthorized data files, or modify configuration in unexpected ways. If the application uses a search path to locate critical resources such as programs, then an attacker could modify that search path to point to a malicious program, which the targeted application would then execute. The problem extends to any type of critical resource that the application trusts.

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 Creative Cloud version 5.9.1 and earlier contains an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability where the application uses a search path to locate critical resources such as programs. An attacker with local access could modify this search path to point to a malicious program or resource, which the application would then execute or load with the application's elevated privileges.

MitigationOrganizations should upgrade to Creative Cloud version 5.9.2 or later. Until then, users should ensure the application runs in a controlled environment, avoid running the application from untrusted network locations, and verify that the directory containing the application and its dependencies are not writable by unprivileged users.

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
Creative CloudApplication
Affected:< 5.10

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 Creative Cloud is installed
    Look for Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application in the system. On Windows, check Program Files or Program Files (x86) for an Adobe folder. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Creative Cloud.
    Affected if Adobe Creative Cloud is present on the system
  2. Determine installed Creative Cloud version
    Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application and navigate to the account or settings section to view the version number, or right-click the desktop app icon and select 'About Adobe Creative Cloud'.
    Affected if The version shown is 5.9.1 or earlier (any version below 5.10)
  3. Check if application directory is writable by unprivileged users
    Examine file permissions on the directory containing the Adobe Creative Cloud executable. On Windows, right-click the folder, go to Properties > Security to verify write permissions. On macOS, use 'ls -la' in Terminal to check group and other write flags.
    Affected if The folder containing the Adobe Creative Cloud executable grants write permission to standard (non-admin) users or groups
  4. Inspect for unexpected DLLs or executables in application directory
    Review all files in the Adobe Creative Cloud installation folder for any unexpected DLL files, executables, or scripts that were not part of the original installation.
    Affected if Unexpected or newly added DLL files, executables, or scripts are found in the application directory

A user is affected if Adobe Creative Cloud version 5.9.1 or earlier is installed AND the application directory is writable by unprivileged users, allowing potential injection of malicious executables into the search path.

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 5.10 or later
Fixed in 5.10
Interim mitigation

Organizations should upgrade to Creative Cloud version 5.9.2 or later. Until then, users should ensure the application runs in a controlled environment, avoid running the application from untrusted network locations, and verify that the directory containing the application and its dependencies are not writable by unprivileged users.

Recommended fix High confidence

Creative Cloud version 5.10

  1. 1. Close all Adobe Creative Cloud applications currently running
  2. 2. Open the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
  3. 3. Navigate to the 'Apps' or 'Updates' section
  4. 4. Check for available updates to Creative Cloud
  5. 5. Update to Creative Cloud version 5.10 or later
  6. 6. Restart the Creative Cloud application and verify the version number reflects the update

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

Fix this in Creative Cloud Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.

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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-2023-26358 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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