Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a local privilege escalation issue in Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.2 and earlier. A local attacker could abuse insecure temporary file creation during installer activity to perform high-privileged actions. It affects integrity, not confidentiality or availability, and the bundle does not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a focused endpoint hygiene issue. It is not described as remotely exploitable, but local no-interaction privilege escalation can matter on shared, kiosk, lab, or compromised user workstations.
Technical view
CVE-2021-28597 is a CWE-379 insecure temporary file creation issue involving symbolic links. The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, high integrity impact. The source bundle names Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.2 and earlier, but does not provide exact fixed versions.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to systems with affected Adobe Photoshop Elements versions installed or installer components present. The attack path is local, so internet-facing exposure is not indicated by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The bundle says exploitation needs no user interaction and no prior privileges, but requires local access. KEV is false, and no cited source in the bundle confirms active exploitation or public weaponization.
Researcher notes
The public bundle is thin on fixed-version detail and only identifies Photoshop Elements 5.2 and earlier. Avoid assuming other Adobe products are affected. Validation should center on version inventory, installer behavior, and vendor advisory alignment.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory endpoints for Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.2 and earlier.
- Review Adobe APSB21-46 for vendor-designated fixed versions or installer guidance.
- Update, remove, or isolate affected installations according to Adobe guidance.
- Prioritize shared workstations and systems with multiple local users.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Adobe Photoshop Elements versions across managed endpoints.
- Check whether affected installer components remain present after updates or removal.
- Verify patch status against Adobe APSB21-46, not only package presence.
- Review local privilege escalation monitoring for suspicious installer-related activity.
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-379: 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 lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-28597 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 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N2.53.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
6.2MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop_elements/apsb21-46.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.