dbcve.org
IllustratorApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-21160

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 28.7.4 / 29.2.1 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 29.1, 28.7.3 and earlier are affected by an Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound) 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 versions 29.1, 28.7.3 and earlier contain an integer underflow vulnerability that can be triggered when parsing a maliciously crafted file. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user, requiring only that the victim open the crafted file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Illustrator to the latest patched version released by Adobe. Users should avoid opening untrusted files 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:>= 28.0, < 28.7.4>= 29.0, < 29.2.1

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 Illustrator is installed
    Check for the presence of Adobe Illustrator on the system. On Windows, look in Program Files/Adobe or check registry HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe for Illustrator keys. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Illustrator.
    Affected if Adobe Illustrator is not found on the system, the system is not affected by this vulnerability.
  2. Determine installed Adobe Illustrator version
    On Windows, right-click the Adobe Illustrator executable (typically in Program Files/Adobe/Adobe Illustrator XX/Support Files/Contents/Windows/Illustrator.exe) and select Properties > Details to view the File Version. Alternatively, run 'wmic product get name,version' or check registry keys under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Illustrator. On macOS, right-click Adobe Illustrator.app > Get Info to view the version number.
    Affected if Unable to determine the installed version means the check is inconclusive.
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    The vulnerability affects versions >= 28.0 and < 28.7.4, and versions >= 29.0 and < 29.2.1. Compare your installed version (from step 2) to these ranges. For example, versions 28.0, 28.1, 28.2, 28.3, 28.4, 28.5, 28.6, 28.7.0, 28.7.1, 28.7.2, 28.7.3, and 29.0, 29.1 are all affected.
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 28.0 to < 28.7.4, or >= 29.0 to < 29.2.1, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
  4. Confirm file parsing is enabled
    This vulnerability is triggered when Adobe Illustrator parses a specially crafted file. No specific configuration needs to be enabled; the vulnerability exists in the file parsing code itself. The attack surface is any user who can open files in Illustrator.
    Affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed with a vulnerable version and users can open files, the system is potentially exposed.

The environment is affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed with version 28.0 through 28.7.3, or version 29.0 through 29.1, and users can open files in the application.

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 28.7.4 / 29.2.1 or later
Fixed in 28.7.429.2.1
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Illustrator to the latest patched version released by Adobe. Users should avoid opening untrusted files until the update is applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Illustrator 28.7.4 or 29.2.1 (depending on your current major version line)

  1. 1. Open Adobe Illustrator and go to Help > About Adobe Illustrator to check your current version number
  2. 2. Close Adobe Illustrator completely before upgrading
  3. 3. Back up any important Illustrator files and preferences (optional but recommended)
  4. 4. Download Adobe Illustrator version 28.7.4 (for 28.x line) or 29.2.1 (for 29.x line) from the official Adobe website at helpx.adobe.com
  5. 5. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install the fixed version
  6. 6. After installation, verify the version by going to Help > About Adobe Illustrator and confirm it shows 28.7.4 or 29.2.1
Caveat Minor version upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes; however, test critical workflows with the new version before production use

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

Fix this in Illustrator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
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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-2025-21160 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