Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-28607 is a high-severity Adobe After Effects file-parsing flaw. A malicious file could corrupt memory and run code as the signed-in user if opened. It is most relevant to creative workstations handling external After Effects files.
Executive priority
Treat this as a workstation-risk issue with high impact but user-interaction dependency. Prioritize creative teams and shared media-handling systems before general endpoints without After Effects installed.
Technical view
Adobe After Effects 18.2 and earlier are affected by a heap corruption issue during specially crafted file parsing. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.8 with local attack vector, no privileges required, user interaction required, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to endpoints with Adobe After Effects 18.2 or earlier installed, especially users who receive or open third-party project files. This is not described as a remotely reachable server vulnerability.
Exploitation context
The source bundle says exploitation requires a victim to open a malicious file. It is not listed as CISA KEV, and no provided source states active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The available evidence identifies CWE-787 heap corruption and arbitrary code execution in the current user context. Version detail is limited to 18.2 and earlier in the provided description. The bundle does not provide exploit indicators, proof-of-concept status, or specific patch version details.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Adobe After Effects installations and identify versions 18.2 or earlier.
- Check Adobe APSB21-49 for vendor-recommended update or remediation guidance.
- Prioritize remediation on systems handling external or client-supplied media files.
- Restrict opening untrusted After Effects files until remediation is complete.
- Run After Effects with least-privileged user accounts where operationally feasible.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Adobe After Effects is installed on managed endpoints.
- Record installed After Effects versions and compare against 18.2 or earlier.
- Review email, file-sharing, and creative workflows for untrusted project-file intake.
- Verify remediation status against Adobe APSB21-49 guidance.
- Confirm affected users understand not to open unexpected After Effects 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-2021-28607 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 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/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:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/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/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 Write
Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.