CVE-2026-76191 in Animate
Summary
by MITRE • 09/08/2026
Animate is affected by an Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. A low-privileged attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file. Scope is changed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2026
The identified security flaw represents a critical instance of Improper Control of Generation of Code, commonly categorized under CWE-94 within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. This vulnerability manifests as a code injection defect where an application fails to adequately validate or sanitize input before incorporating it into dynamically generated scripts or commands. In this specific context involving Animate software, the flaw allows for arbitrary code execution in the security context of the currently logged-in user. The severity is heightened by the fact that exploitation does not require administrative privileges; a low-privileged attacker can leverage this weakness to achieve significant system compromise, effectively escalating their access level through the actions of a victim who interacts with malicious content.
The operational mechanism of this vulnerability relies heavily on social engineering or deceptive file delivery methods. Exploitation requires direct user interaction, specifically necessitating that a target opens a specially crafted malicious file within the Animate application environment. When such a file is processed, the software's internal parsing logic inadvertently interprets injected payloads as executable code rather than benign data. This misinterpretation leads to the execution of arbitrary commands on the host system. The scope change indicates that the impact extends beyond the immediate process or sandboxed environment where the vulnerability exists, potentially affecting other resources accessible by the user account, thereby increasing the blast radius of a successful exploit.
From an offensive security perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques observed in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to Command and Scripting Interpreter abuse and User Execution tactics. Attackers typically distribute these malicious files via phishing campaigns or compromised websites, relying on the user's trust in the file source or the perceived safety of opening documents from known contacts. Once executed, the injected code can perform a wide array of hostile actions, including downloading additional malware, establishing persistence mechanisms, exfiltrating sensitive data, or pivoting to other systems within the network if lateral movement capabilities are present. The lack of privilege requirements makes this vector particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where endpoint protection may be less stringent for standard user accounts compared to administrative ones.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both technical controls and user awareness training. Organizations should ensure that Animate software is updated to the latest version provided by Adobe, as vendors typically release patches addressing such code injection flaws promptly after discovery. In the interim, implementing application whitelisting policies can prevent unauthorized scripts from executing even if they are successfully injected into memory or disk. Additionally, restricting file associations so that critical applications do not automatically open files with suspicious extensions can reduce the risk of accidental execution. Security awareness programs should emphasize the dangers of opening unsolicited files and verifying the integrity of downloaded content before interaction. Network segmentation and strict egress filtering further limit the potential impact by preventing compromised hosts from communicating with external command-and-control infrastructure or exfiltrating data to unauthorized destinations.