CVE-2026-47940 in Lightroom Classic
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2026
Lightroom Classic is affected by an Integer Overflow or Wraparound 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2026
Adobe Lightroom Classic contains a critical integer overflow vulnerability that arises from improper handling of numeric values during file processing operations. This flaw exists within the application's image parsing and rendering mechanisms where unsigned 32-bit integers are used to calculate buffer sizes or array indices without adequate bounds checking. The vulnerability manifests when the software encounters specially crafted image files that contain malformed metadata or pixel dimensions that cause integer wraparound behavior, resulting in memory corruption that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the currently logged-in user.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, Integer Overflow or Wraparound, which occurs when a program performs arithmetic operations on integer values that exceed the maximum representable value for the data type. In Lightroom Classic's case, the overflow typically happens during image file parsing when processing dimensions, color depth specifications, or compression parameters that are improperly validated before being used in memory allocation calculations. Attackers can craft malicious image files with carefully manipulated header values that cause the integer arithmetic to wrap around and create unexpectedly small buffer sizes, leading to heap-based buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it requires only user interaction to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where employees may unknowingly open malicious files from untrusted sources. The attack vector involves a victim opening a specially crafted image file within Lightroom Classic, which triggers the integer overflow condition during normal file processing operations. This execution context presents a realistic threat scenario since Lightroom is commonly used for photo management and editing, making it likely that users will encounter various image formats from different sources including email attachments, shared drives, or web downloads.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability follows typical attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under technique T1059.007 Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell, where attackers may leverage such vulnerabilities to establish persistent access through malicious file delivery methods. The exploitability of this flaw is enhanced by the fact that Lightroom Classic operates with the user's privileges, meaning successful exploitation could allow attackers to access sensitive files, modify user data, or potentially escalate privileges further within the system environment. Organizations should prioritize patch management and user education regarding suspicious file attachments and untrusted image sources.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of Adobe's security patches for Lightroom Classic, as well as implementing additional security controls such as sandboxing mechanisms, file extension filtering, and automated scanning of image files before processing. Network-based protections can be enhanced through email filtering systems that detect potentially malicious image files and prevent their delivery to end users. Additionally, organizations should consider restricting user permissions when handling image files and implementing least-privilege access models to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar integer overflow conditions in other applications that process image or multimedia data, as these types of vulnerabilities are particularly common in software handling binary file formats and memory-intensive operations.