dbcve.org
DreamweaverApplication · Adobe

CVE-2026-21274

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 21.7 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
Dreamweaver Desktop versions 21.6 and earlier are affected by an Incorrect Authorization vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass security measures and execute unauthorized code. 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 · moderate confidence

Dreamweaver Desktop versions 21.6 and earlier contain an Incorrect Authorization vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass security measures and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction—specifically, the victim must open a malicious file, suggesting the vulnerability may involve improper validation of file opening operations or associated scripting/extension mechanisms.

MitigationUpdate Dreamweaver Desktop to a version newer than 21.6 when the vendor releases a patch. Until then, avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited files in Dreamweaver, and exercise caution with files from unknown sources.

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
DreamweaverApplication
Affected:< 21.7

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. Check installed Dreamweaver version
    Open Dreamweaver, go to Help > About Adobe Dreamweaver (or check the application info in your system's installed programs list). Alternatively, run: Windows: wmic product where "name like 'Dreamweaver'" get version; macOS: defaults read /Applications/Adobe\ Dreamweaver*/Adobe\ Dreamweaver*\.app/Contents/Info CFBundleVersion
    Affected if The installed version is 21.6 or earlier, or any version less than 21.7
  2. Confirm Dreamweaver file associations are active
    Check Windows: Registry key HKCR\.dwg or file extension associations in Dreamweaver > Edit > Preferences > File Types / Editors; macOS: Right-click any .dwg or associated file > Get Info > Open with: Dreamweaver
    Affected if Dreamweaver is set as the default handler for any file types, indicating active file handling capabilities
  3. Review enabled Dreamweaver extensions or scripts
    Open Dreamweaver > Commands > Manage Extensions, or check the Win/ Mac extension folders: Windows: [Dreamweaver install]\Configuration\; macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Dreamweaver [version]/Configuration/
    Affected if There are unknown, untrusted, or recently added extensions present that were not installed by the user
  4. Inspect recent file open activity in Dreamweaver logs
    Check Dreamweaver site definition logs or recent files list (File > Open Recent). On Windows also check: %APPDATA%\Adobe\Dreamweaver\[version]\en_US\Configuration\; on macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Dreamweaver/[version]/en_US/Configuration/
    Affected if There are records of opening files from untrusted or unknown sources, or files with unusual extensions (e.g., .dwx, .dsp, or scripting files)
  5. Verify user account privileges
    Check if Dreamweaver is running with administrator or elevated privileges (Windows: Task Manager > Dreamweaver > Right-click > Run as administrator status; macOS: ps aux | grep Dreamweaver to see process owner)
    Affected if Dreamweaver runs with elevated privileges, which would increase the impact of arbitrary code execution

You are affected if Dreamweaver Desktop version is 21.6 or earlier (less than 21.7) and you open files from untrusted sources, since the vulnerability allows arbitrary code execution through improper validation of file opening operations.

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 21.7 or later
Fixed in 21.7
Interim mitigation

Update Dreamweaver Desktop to a version newer than 21.6 when the vendor releases a patch. Until then, avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited files in Dreamweaver, and exercise caution with files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Dreamweaver 21.7 or later

  1. Open the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or Dreamweaver
  2. Check for available updates or navigate to the Dreamweaver update section
  3. Update Adobe Dreamweaver to version 21.7 or later
  4. Restart Dreamweaver after the update completes
  5. Verify the installed version is 21.7 or higher by going to Help > About Dreamweaver

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

Fix this in Dreamweaver 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-2026-21274 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