CVE-2016-0951 in Photoshop CC
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 before 15.2.4, Photoshop CC 2015 before 16.1.2, and Bridge CC before 6.2 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0952 and CVE-2016-0953.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/04/2025
Adobe Photoshop and Bridge applications suffered from a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service conditions. This vulnerability affected multiple versions of the software including Photoshop CC 2014 before 15.2.4, Photoshop CC 2015 before 16.1.2, and Bridge CC before 6.2. The flaw manifested through unspecified attack vectors that differed from the related vulnerabilities CVE-2016-0952 and CVE-2016-0953, indicating a distinct code path within the applications. The memory corruption issue occurred during the processing of specially crafted files or input data, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate memory layout and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application. This vulnerability represents a classic heap-based buffer overflow or use-after-free condition that could be exploited through malformed image files or documents processed by the software. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution as it could also result in complete system compromise when combined with other exploitation techniques. Attackers could leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to systems running vulnerable versions of Adobe Photoshop or Bridge, potentially leading to data theft, system takeover, or deployment of additional malware. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions, both of which are common in memory corruption vulnerabilities. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to creative professionals and organizations that rely on Adobe Creative Suite for their digital workflows. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Photoshop and Bridge are frequently used to process files from untrusted sources, including web downloads, email attachments, and collaborative projects. The vulnerability's exploitation could occur through social engineering campaigns where attackers deliver malicious files that appear legitimate but contain crafted payloads designed to trigger the memory corruption. Organizations using these applications should prioritize immediate patching to mitigate the risk of exploitation, as the vulnerability could be actively exploited in the wild. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059 for command and script interpreter, as successful exploitation would likely involve execution of malicious code within the application's memory space. The affected versions represent a critical window of exposure, as Adobe released patches specifically addressing this memory corruption issue in their subsequent updates. Security teams should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and ensure that all users are updated to patched versions of the software. The vulnerability demonstrates the ongoing challenge of securing complex multimedia applications where file parsing logic can create extensive attack surfaces. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as application whitelisting, sandboxing, and regular security assessments to reduce the risk of exploitation. The incident highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date software patches and the potential consequences of running outdated applications in enterprise environments. This vulnerability serves as a reminder that even widely used productivity applications can contain critical security flaws that require immediate attention from security teams and system administrators. The complexity of multimedia file formats and their parsers makes these applications particularly susceptible to memory corruption vulnerabilities that can be exploited remotely without user interaction.