Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets a malicious Photoshop file run code as the person who opens it. It is serious for teams handling external design assets, because compromise starts with normal user interaction rather than a server breach.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for creative workstations that handle external files. The issue is high impact, but urgency is moderated by required user interaction and no provided evidence of active exploitation.
Technical view
CVE-2021-21047 is a CWE-787 out-of-bounds write in Adobe Photoshop 21.2.4 and earlier, and 22.1.1 and earlier. CVSS 3.0 is 7.8. Exploitation requires a user to open a malicious file and could lead to arbitrary code execution in that user context.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on workstations running affected Adobe Photoshop versions, especially creative, marketing, publishing, and support teams that receive files from outside parties.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires user interaction: opening a malicious file in an affected Photoshop installation.
Researcher notes
The record identifies product, affected version ceilings, weakness type, CVSS vector, and user-interaction requirement. The provided bundle does not include exploit details, proof-of-concept status, or fixed version numbers beyond the Adobe bulletin reference.
Mitigation direction
- Review Adobe APSB21-10 and update Photoshop according to vendor guidance.
- Inventory endpoints for Photoshop 21.2.4 and earlier, or 22.1.1 and earlier.
- Limit opening untrusted Photoshop files until affected systems are updated.
- Use least-privilege user accounts on creative workstations.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Photoshop versions across managed endpoints.
- Compare discovered versions against the affected version ranges in the CVE description.
- Verify update status against Adobe APSB21-10 guidance.
- Review endpoint telemetry for unusual activity after opening external creative files.
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.
CWE-787: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-21047 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb21-10.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.
Out-of-bounds Write
Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.