Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-28576 affects Adobe Animate 21.0.5 and earlier. A malicious file can cause Animate to read memory outside expected bounds, potentially exposing sensitive information from the current user's context. The victim must open the file, so exposure centers on users handling external creative assets.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted workstation risk, not a broad infrastructure emergency. Prioritize patching creative endpoints and reducing risky file intake because successful exploitation depends on user interaction.
Technical view
This is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in Adobe Animate file parsing. CVSS 3.1 is 4.3, with network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, required user interaction, and low confidentiality impact. The supplied sources do not identify integrity or availability impact.
Likely exposure
Organizations are exposed where Adobe Animate 21.0.5 or earlier is installed, especially on creative, marketing, training, or development endpoints that receive files from outside sources.
Exploitation context
The source bundle reports no CISA KEV listing and provides no evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires a victim to open a specially crafted malicious file.
Researcher notes
Available evidence identifies an out-of-bounds read during crafted file parsing, but does not include root-cause details, proof-of-concept status, or a named fixed version in the provided bundle. Avoid assuming broader Adobe product impact.
Mitigation direction
- Identify Adobe Animate installations and prioritize versions 21.0.5 or earlier.
- Check Adobe APSB21-35 and apply the vendor-recommended update.
- Restrict opening untrusted Animate-related files from email, web, or external partners.
- Use endpoint controls to quarantine suspicious files delivered to creative workstations.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for Adobe Animate and record installed versions.
- Confirm whether any installation is version 21.0.5 or earlier.
- Verify Adobe advisory guidance has been applied on affected systems.
- Review email and web controls for malicious file delivery protection.
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
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CWE-125: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-28576 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
- 4.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N2.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb21-35.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 Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.