CVE-2026-48275
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 is affected by an Untrusted Search Path 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. Scope is changed.
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 confidenceAdobe Illustrator contains an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability where the application loads DLLs from locations that could be controlled by an attacker. When a victim opens a malicious file, the application may inadvertently load a malicious DLL from an untrusted path instead of the legitimate system DLL, resulting in arbitrary code execution in the context 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>= 29.0, < 29.8.9>= 30.0, < 30.6CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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 if Adobe Illustrator is installed on the system. On Windows, look in Program Files or Program Files (x86) for an Adobe Illustrator folder. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Illustrator.Affected if Illustrator is not installed on the system.
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Determine installed Illustrator versionOn Windows, locate the Adobe Illustrator executable (Adobe Illustrator.exe), right-click and select Properties, then view the Details tab for the Product Version. On macOS, right-click the application in Applications, select Get Info, and check the Version field.Affected if The installed version cannot be determined or the application is not found.
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Compare version against affected rangesCompare your installed version number to the affected ranges: versions 29.0 through 29.8.8 (less than 29.8.9), and versions 30.0 through 30.5 (less than 30.6).Affected if The installed version falls within >= 29.0 and < 29.8.9, or >= 30.0 and < 30.6.
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Check application directory permissionsVerify that the directory where Adobe Illustrator is installed is not writable by non-admin users. On Windows, right-click the Illustrator folder in Program Files, select Properties, go to the Security tab, and verify that standard users lack Write or Modify permissions.Affected if The Illustrator installation directory is writable by standard user accounts, allowing an attacker to place malicious DLLs.
A user is affected if Adobe Illustrator is installed with a version between 29.0 and 29.8.8 inclusive, or between 30.0 and 30.5 inclusive, and the application directory allows standard users to write 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 · scoped29.8.930.6
Apply the vendor patch from Adobe when available. Until then, ensure DLL search paths are secured and users are warned not to open untrusted files. Consider restricting the application directory write access and removing the current directory from the DLL search order.
29.8.9 (for 29.x branch) or 30.6 (for 30.x branch)
- Close Adobe Illustrator completely before beginning the update process
- Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
- Navigate to the Updates section or find Illustrator in your installed apps
- Click on Update or Check for Updates to install the latest patched version
- For version 29.x users: Update to version 29.8.9 or later
- For version 30.x users: Update to version 30.6 or later
- Restart your computer after the update completes
- Verify the installed version by opening Illustrator and checking Help > About Adobe Illustrator
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,160.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-48275 — 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-2026-48275 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