CVE-2024-20791
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 · uneditedIllustrator versions 28.4, 27.9.3 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability when parsing a crafted file, which could result in a read past the end of an allocated memory structure. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute code 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 confidenceAdobe Illustrator contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability when parsing crafted files. By opening a maliciously crafted file, an attacker can read past the end of an allocated memory structure, potentially achieving code execution in the context of the current user. This is a memory safety flaw in the file parsing logic.
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< 27.9.4>= 28.0, < 28.5CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if Adobe Illustrator is installedWindows: Look in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [Version]\Support Files\Contents\Windows\Adobe Illustrator.exe or check Programs and Features. Mac: Look in /Applications/Adobe Illustrator [Version].appAffected if Adobe Illustrator is installed on the system
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Determine the installed version numberWindows: Right-click Adobe Illustrator.exe, select Properties, then Details to view File Version. Alternatively, open Illustrator, go to Help > About Adobe Illustrator. Mac: Right-click Adobe Illustrator.app, select Get Info, or open Illustrator and go to Illustrator > About Adobe IllustratorAffected if Version displayed is < 27.9.4 OR >= 28.0 and < 28.5
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Confirm version falls within affected rangesCompare the installed version against the vulnerable ranges: versions 27.x below 27.9.4, and versions 28.0 through 28.4.x are affected. Versions 27.9.4 and later, and 28.5 and later are patchedAffected if Installed version is 27.9.3 or earlier, or any 28.0-28.4.x version
The environment is affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed and the version number is either below 27.9.4 in the 27.x branch, or between 28.0 and 28.4.x in the 28.x branch.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped27.9.428.5
Apply the vendor patch from Adobe (version 28.5 or later for 28.x branch, or the latest patched version for 27.x) to address this vulnerability. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted files in Illustrator.
Illustrator 28.5 or later (or 27.9.4 for the 27.x branch)
- Back up any open or unsaved work in Illustrator
- Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or launch Illustrator
- Navigate to Help > Check for Updates in Illustrator, or use the Updates tab in Creative Cloud
- Download and install Illustrator version 28.5 or later (or version 27.9.4 if remaining on the 27.x release line)
- Restart Illustrator after the update completes
- Verify the installed version via Help > About Adobe Illustrator
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-20791 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-20791 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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