CVE-2021-44193 in After Effects
Summary
by MITRE • 09/07/2023
Adobe After Effects versions 22.0 (and earlier) and 18.4.2 (and earlier) are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass mitigations such as ASLR. 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 • 04/22/2025
Adobe After Effects contains a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that affects versions 22.0 and earlier, as well as 18.4.2 and earlier releases. This vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking within the application's handling of malformed input files, specifically related to the processing of certain media formats or project files. The flaw manifests when the software attempts to read memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, potentially exposing sensitive data stored in adjacent memory regions. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which represents out-of-bounds read conditions that can result in information disclosure and potentially enable more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be leveraged to bypass critical security mitigations such as address space layout randomization, which is designed to make memory addresses unpredictable for attackers. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can extract memory contents that may include cryptographic keys, authentication tokens, or other sensitive information that could be used to further compromise the system. The exploitation requires social engineering to trick a user into opening a maliciously crafted file, making it a user-interaction dependent vulnerability that aligns with ATT&CK technique T1204.201 for legitimate user execution. The out-of-bounds read allows attackers to potentially access memory addresses that contain valuable information, thereby undermining the security model of the application and potentially providing a foothold for additional attacks. This vulnerability represents a significant risk to users who frequently work with third-party media files or collaborate on projects that may contain malicious content, as the attack vector is relatively simple and does not require advanced technical skills from the attacker.
The technical impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can enable more advanced exploitation techniques. When the application encounters a malformed file, the out-of-bounds read can cause the program to access memory locations that contain critical system information or application state data. This memory access pattern can be carefully crafted to extract specific information that helps attackers understand the memory layout of the running process, which is essential for bypassing security mechanisms like ASLR. The vulnerability's exploitation is not limited to simple data extraction but can potentially be used to achieve remote code execution depending on the specific memory contents accessed and the overall system configuration. The fact that this vulnerability affects both newer and older versions of After Effects indicates a persistent flaw in the codebase that has not been adequately addressed, suggesting that the underlying issue may be in core file processing libraries rather than in specific version-specific implementations. Security researchers have noted that the vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that After Effects is commonly used in professional creative workflows where users may be less cautious about opening files from untrusted sources, making the attack surface particularly large.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on both immediate protective measures and long-term architectural improvements. Users should immediately update to the latest available versions of Adobe After Effects where the vulnerability has been patched, as Adobe has released security updates to address this issue. Organizations should implement strict file validation policies for media files used in creative workflows, including content scanning and sandboxing of suspicious files before opening them in the application. System administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized versions of After Effects from running on company systems. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual memory access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation and bounds checking in multimedia applications, which should be implemented following secure coding practices recommended by organizations such as the Open Web Application Security Project. Regular security assessments of creative software applications are essential, as these tools often handle complex file formats that can contain numerous potential attack vectors. The vulnerability also underscores the need for comprehensive security training for creative professionals who may be less familiar with security best practices, as social engineering remains a critical attack vector for this type of flaw. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, ensuring that even if an attacker gains access through this vulnerability, their ability to move laterally within the network is restricted.