CVE-2024-49538
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 29.0.0, 28.7.2 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 confidenceAdobe Illustrator contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability where parsing a specially crafted malicious file leads to memory corruption and allows arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the current user.
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< 28.7.3= 29.0CVSS 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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Verify Adobe Illustrator installationCheck common installation paths or use system inventory tools to confirm Adobe Illustrator is present on the system (e.g., C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator* or /Applications/Adobe Illustrator*)Affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed on the system
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Determine installed version numberLocate and read the version information: on Windows, right-click the executable and select Properties > Details, or check the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Illustrator; on macOS, right-click the app in Applications and select Get InfoAffected if Unable to retrieve version information indicates potential incomplete installation but does not rule out presence
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Compare version against affected rangesMatch the installed version (e.g., 28.x, 29.0) against the vulnerable ranges: any version below 28.7.3 (such as 28.7.2, 28.6, 28.0) or exactly version 29.0Affected if Installed version is lower than 28.7.3 or equals exactly 29.0
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Confirm file parsing functionalityAdobe Illustrator's core function is parsing various file formats (.ai, .eps, .svg, .pdf) - this is always enabled by default in any installationAffected if Adobe Illustrator can open or process files, meaning the vulnerable parsing code is present and accessible
If Adobe Illustrator is installed and the version is below 28.7.3 or exactly 29.0, the environment is affected by this vulnerability when processing untrusted files.
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 · scoped28.7.3
Users should not open untrusted files and should update to the latest patched version of Adobe Illustrator when released by Adobe.
Adobe Illustrator 28.7.3 or later (or 29.0.1 or later for the 29.x release line)
- 1. Close Adobe Illustrator if it is currently running
- 2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to the Adobe Illustrator download page
- 3. Locate Adobe Illustrator in your installed applications
- 4. Check for available updates - the fixed version is 28.7.3 or later (28.x line) or 29.0.1 or later (29.x line)
- 5. Click update or install to apply the patched version
- 6. Restart Adobe Illustrator after the update completes
- 7. Verify the installed version by going to Help > About Adobe Illustrator and confirm the version number is 28.7.3 or higher, or 29.0.1 or higher
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-49538 — 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-2024-49538 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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- 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