CVE-2024-47445 in After Effects
Summary
by MITRE • 11/12/2024
After Effects versions 23.6.9, 24.6.2 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 • 02/27/2025
This vulnerability affects Adobe After Effects software versions 23.6.9, 24.6.2 and earlier, presenting a critical out-of-bounds read flaw that exposes sensitive memory contents to potential attackers. The technical implementation involves improper bounds checking within the application's file parsing routines, specifically when processing malformed or specially crafted input files. This memory access violation occurs during the handling of certain media file formats or project files that contain malformed data structures, allowing an attacker to read memory locations beyond the intended buffer boundaries. The flaw manifests as an uninitialized memory access pattern that can be exploited to extract information from adjacent memory segments, potentially revealing sensitive data such as encryption keys, authentication tokens, or other confidential information stored in memory. The vulnerability resides in the application's file processing pipeline where input validation is insufficient to prevent malicious data from being processed without proper boundary checks, creating a direct pathway for memory disclosure attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can be leveraged to bypass critical security mitigations including Address Space Layout Randomization. When an attacker successfully exploits this out-of-bounds read condition, they can extract memory layout information that would normally be randomized by ASLR protection mechanisms, effectively undermining the security layer designed to prevent exploitation. This memory disclosure capability enables more sophisticated attacks where the attacker can gather information about the process memory layout, potentially leading to further exploitation techniques such as return-oriented programming or just-in-time code generation. The requirement for user interaction makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios, as it necessitates social engineering or phishing campaigns to deliver malicious files to victims. The attack vector requires the victim to open a specifically crafted malicious file, which can be delivered through email attachments, compromised websites, or other means of file distribution, making this a persistent threat in environments where users frequently handle multimedia content.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129 which describes improper validation of array index bounds, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059 for execution through malicious file handling. Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of After Effects, implementing strict file validation policies, and monitoring for suspicious file opening activities. Organizations should also consider deploying sandboxing solutions to isolate file processing activities and reduce the potential impact of successful exploitation. The attack surface is particularly concerning for creative agencies, media production companies, and any organization handling sensitive visual content, as these environments often process numerous third-party files that could contain malicious payloads. Regular security assessments should be conducted to verify that the vulnerability has been properly addressed and that no residual impacts remain from previous exploitation attempts. Additionally, user awareness training should emphasize the importance of not opening suspicious files and maintaining current software versions to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities. The memory disclosure characteristics of this vulnerability make it particularly attractive to advanced persistent threat actors who may use the extracted information to plan more sophisticated attacks against the target organization.