dbcve.org
IllustratorApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-41856

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 27.9.5 / 28.6 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 versions 28.5, 27.9.4, 28.6, 27.9.5 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 contains an improper input validation vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a maliciously crafted file. The attacker gains code execution with the privileges of the current user, requiring victim interaction (opening a file) for exploitation.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Illustrator to a patched version beyond 28.6/27.9.5. Users should avoid opening files from untrusted sources until the update is applied.

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, < 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
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. Identify Adobe Illustrator version on Windows
    Open Adobe Illustrator, then go to Help > About Adobe Illustrator. The version number will display in the dialog that appears.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 27.0 to 27.9.5 or 28.0 to 28.6
  2. Identify Adobe Illustrator version on macOS
    Open Adobe Illustrator, then go to Adobe Illustrator > About Adobe Illustrator. The version number will display in the dialog that appears.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 27.0 to 27.9.5 or 28.0 to 28.6
  3. Check version via installed programs list (Windows)
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features (or Settings > Apps > Apps & features on Windows 10/11). Locate Adobe Illustrator in the list and note the version shown.
    Affected if The listed version falls within 27.0 to 27.9.5 or 28.0 to 28.6
  4. Verify exact version number matches vulnerable ranges
    Compare your installed version number to the affected ranges: 27.0 <= version < 27.9.5 OR 28.0 <= version < 28.6. Ensure you note the full version including any sub-version numbers (e.g., 27.9, 28.5).
    Affected if Your version matches either 27.0 through 27.9.5 or 28.0 through 28.6, meaning the improper input validation flaw is present

You are affected if Adobe Illustrator version is 27.0 through 27.9.5, or 28.0 through 28.6, since these ranges contain the vulnerability.

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 a patched version beyond 28.6/27.9.5. Users should avoid opening files from untrusted sources until the update is applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. Close Adobe Illustrator if it is currently running
  2. Navigate to the official Adobe Illustrator download page at helpx.adobe.com
  3. Download Adobe Illustrator version 27.9.5 (for versions 27.0-27.9.4) or version 28.6 (for versions 28.0-28.5) depending on your current branch
  4. Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade
  5. After installation, verify the version by opening Illustrator and checking Help > About Adobe Illustrator
  6. Ensure the installed version displays 27.9.5 or 28.6 (or later) to confirm the vulnerability is patched

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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-2024-41856 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