Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Windows-only local privilege escalation issue in Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application versions before 3.7.0.272. An attacker would already need local access, but could potentially gain higher privileges by abusing an unquoted Windows search path condition involving the system drive root.
Executive priority
Treat this as a patch hygiene issue with moderate urgency. It is not described as remotely exploitable or actively exploited, but it can undermine workstation privilege boundaries on affected Windows endpoints.
Technical view
CVE-2016-4158 is an unquoted Windows search path vulnerability in Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application before 3.7.0.272 on Windows. The CVE states local users can gain privileges through a Trojan horse executable placed in the %SYSTEMDRIVE% directory. No CVSS, CWE, or CISA KEV listing is provided in the source bundle.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Windows systems running Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application versions earlier than 3.7.0.272. Non-Windows systems and updated installations are not identified as affected in the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The provided sources describe local privilege escalation, not remote compromise. They do not show public exploitation, active exploitation, or CISA KEV status. Exploitation depends on local user access and the vulnerable application behavior.
Researcher notes
The source data is sparse: affected vendor/product fields are generic, CVSS and CWE are absent, and only Adobe’s bulletin is referenced. The key facts are local privilege escalation, Windows-only scope, versions before 3.7.0.272, and no KEV listing.
Mitigation direction
- Update Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application for Windows to version 3.7.0.272 or later.
- Prioritize shared workstations and endpoints where users lack administrative rights.
- Confirm standard users cannot write executables to the system drive root.
- Check Adobe’s APSB16-21 bulletin for any environment-specific guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Windows endpoints for Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application versions before 3.7.0.272.
- Confirm updated hosts report version 3.7.0.272 or later.
- Review endpoint controls for unexpected executable files in the system drive root.
- Check vulnerability scanner results against the exact Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop version.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2016-4158 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb16-21.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.