Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-21055 is a medium-severity Adobe Dreamweaver issue where someone with physical access to a computer could tamper with files Dreamweaver relies on. The sources describe possible information disclosure, with high impact metrics, but the attack requires local physical access and user interaction.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted workstation hardening issue, not an internet-exposed emergency. Prioritize remediation where Dreamweaver runs on shared or weakly controlled systems, and fold remaining endpoints into routine patch governance.
Technical view
Adobe Dreamweaver 21.0 and earlier, and 20.2 and earlier, are affected by a CWE-426 untrusted search path vulnerability. The bundle states an attacker with physical access could replace referenced configuration files and dynamic libraries, potentially causing information disclosure. The CVSS vector is AV:P/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to systems with affected Dreamweaver versions installed. Highest concern is shared, lab, contractor, or less physically controlled workstations where local users can access application directories or related files.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is supported by the provided sources. The CVE is not listed as KEV in the bundle. Practical exploitation appears constrained by physical access, high attack complexity, low privileges, and user interaction requirements.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Adobe advisory reference. The bundle does not provide exploit details, proof of exploitation, or a named fixed version. Avoid assuming broader Adobe product exposure beyond Dreamweaver.
Mitigation direction
- Review Adobe APSB21-13 for vendor-provided update or remediation guidance.
- Inventory endpoints for Adobe Dreamweaver 21.0, 20.2, or earlier.
- Remove Dreamweaver from systems where it is no longer needed.
- Restrict physical and local account access to design workstations.
- Check application directories for unexpected modified configuration files or libraries.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Dreamweaver versions across managed endpoints.
- Identify whether affected systems are physically accessible to untrusted users.
- Review endpoint file integrity or EDR alerts for Dreamweaver directory changes.
- Verify remediation against Adobe APSB21-13, not assumptions.
- Document exceptions where Dreamweaver cannot be updated or removed.
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-426: 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 lookupCVE-2021-21055 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:L/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:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H0.35.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.2MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dreamweaver/apsb21-13.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.
Untrusted Search Path
Untrusted Search Path represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.