dbcve.org
IllustratorApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-34136

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 27.9.5 / 28.6 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 versions 28.5, 27.9.4 and earlier are affected by a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability that could lead to an application denial-of-service (DoS). An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to crash the application, resulting in a denial of service condition. 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 28.5, 27.9.4 and earlier contain a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability in file parsing logic. When a user opens a maliciously crafted file, the application attempts to dereference a NULL pointer, causing a crash and resulting in denial of service.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Illustrator to the latest patched version. Additionally, train users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources and consider implementing endpoint protection that can scan files before opening.

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:>= 27.0.0, < 27.9.5>= 28.0, < 28.6

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 installed Adobe Illustrator version
    Open Adobe Illustrator and go to Help > About Illustrator, or check the application version through your system's installed programs list (Windows: Programs and Features, macOS: Applications folder Get Info)
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 27.0.0 to 27.9.4 or 28.0 to 28.5
  2. Confirm version number manually
    If accessible, check the version within the application menu (Illustrator > About Illustrator on Mac, or Help > About on Windows) and note the full version string
    Affected if Version starts with 27.x.x (where x is less than 9.5) or 28.0 through 28.5
  3. Identify if file parsing is in use
    The vulnerability is triggered during file parsing operations - confirm the application is configured to handle graphic files (this is default behavior for Illustrator)
    Affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed and capable of opening .ai, .eps, .pdf, or other supported file formats (default configuration)
  4. Check for recent crash events
    Review system event logs or Adobe Illustrator crash logs for recent NULL pointer dereference errors occurring when opening files from external or untrusted sources
    Affected if Crash logs show NULL pointer dereference errors in file parsing components after opening crafted files

You are affected if Adobe Illustrator version is 27.0.0-27.9.4 or 28.0-28.5 and you open maliciously crafted files, as the NULL pointer dereference occurs in file parsing logic regardless of user permissions.

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 27.9.5 / 28.6 or later
Fixed in 27.9.528.6
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Illustrator to the latest patched version. Additionally, train users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources and consider implementing endpoint protection that can scan files before opening.

Recommended fix High confidence

Illustrator 27.9.5 (for 27.x branch) or Illustrator 28.6 (for 28.x branch)

  1. Close Adobe Illustrator completely before updating
  2. Open the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
  3. Navigate to the Apps section and find Adobe Illustrator
  4. Click the Update button next to Illustrator to install the latest version
  5. Alternatively, download the specific patched version (27.9.5 or 28.6) from helpx.adobe.com
  6. Restart Illustrator after the update completes
  7. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release
Caveat Patch updates typically preserve settings and preferences; however, always back up work files before updating

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

Fix this in Illustrator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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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-2024-34136 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