CVE-2021-28616 in After Effects
Summary
by MITRE • 08/25/2021
Adobe After Effects version 18.2 (and earlier) is affected by an Our-of-bounds Read vulnerability when parsing a specially crafted file. An unauthenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to disclose sensitive memory information and cause a denial of service in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/03/2025
Adobe After Effects version 18.2 and earlier contains a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that stems from inadequate input validation during file parsing operations. This flaw falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds read conditions where an application accesses memory beyond the bounds of a allocated buffer. The vulnerability manifests when the software processes specially crafted malicious files that contain malformed data structures, causing the application to attempt reading memory locations that are not properly allocated or accessible. The root cause lies in the insufficient bounds checking mechanisms within the file parsing code, particularly in how the application handles structured data formats used in After Effects project files.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass potential system compromise and denial of service conditions. When an unauthenticated attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can force the application to read memory contents that may contain sensitive data such as encryption keys, user credentials, or system information. This memory disclosure capability provides attackers with valuable information that could be leveraged in subsequent attacks. The vulnerability requires user interaction for exploitation, meaning victims must manually open the malicious file, but this social engineering requirement does not mitigate the risk significantly since users may encounter such files through various legitimate means including email attachments, download portals, or collaborative work environments.
From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly in the execution and privilege escalation domains. The out-of-bounds read condition creates a potential pathway for attackers to gather intelligence about the target system's memory layout, which can aid in developing more sophisticated exploitation techniques. The denial of service aspect means that legitimate users could be disrupted from their work, potentially causing productivity losses and requiring system recovery efforts. The memory disclosure component could expose sensitive information that was not intended for public access, creating additional security implications beyond the immediate denial of service.
Organizations and users should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to Adobe After Effects version 18.3 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. System administrators should implement strict file validation policies and consider sandboxing environments for processing untrusted files. Additionally, user education programs should emphasize the importance of only opening files from trusted sources and maintaining current software versions. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and bounds checking in multimedia applications that process complex file formats, as these applications often handle user-provided data that could be maliciously crafted to exploit underlying software flaws. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual memory access patterns and file processing behaviors that could indicate exploitation attempts.