Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This Adobe After Effects issue can expose sensitive memory if a user opens a malicious file. It is not described as remotely exploitable without user action, but creative workstations handling outside media or project files have meaningful exposure.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate workstation risk. It is not listed as known exploited, but it can expose sensitive data through normal creative workflows where users open outside files.
Technical view
CVE-2021-28600 is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in Adobe After Effects 18.2 and earlier during crafted file parsing. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, user interaction required, high confidentiality impact, no integrity or availability impact.
Likely exposure
Organizations using Adobe After Effects 18.2 or earlier are the likely exposure group, especially teams that receive files from clients, contractors, partners, or public sources.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not state active exploitation, and KEV is false. Exploitation requires a victim to open a malicious file, after which sensitive memory may be disclosed in the current user's context.
Researcher notes
The source evidence identifies CWE-125 and confidentiality-only impact. It does not provide exploit code, proof-of-concept status, detailed parser internals, or exact fixed build data in the supplied bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory After Effects installations and identify version 18.2 or earlier.
- Review Adobe APSB21-49 for vendor-approved fixed versions and update guidance.
- Prioritize systems that process files from external or untrusted sources.
- Restrict opening unexpected After Effects files until systems are remediated.
- Reinforce user guidance for unsolicited project or media files.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed After Effects versions across managed endpoints.
- Compare installed versions against Adobe APSB21-49 guidance.
- Check whether affected workstations receive untrusted client or partner files.
- Verify update deployment completion through endpoint management records.
- Confirm no exception group remains on version 18.2 or earlier.
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-125: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-28600 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
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/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:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N1.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb21-49.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.