Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-28610 affects Adobe After Effects 18.2 and earlier. A malicious file can trigger memory corruption and allow code execution as the user who opens it. This is mainly a workstation risk for creative teams and anyone receiving After Effects files from outside parties.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority endpoint remediation issue, especially for creative or marketing teams. It is not network-wormable, but a single malicious file could execute code on a user workstation.
Technical view
The vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow, CWE-122, in After Effects file parsing. CVSS 3.1 is 7.8 with local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, and required user interaction. Successful exploitation can affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability in the current user context.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to endpoints with Adobe After Effects version 18.2 or earlier installed. Risk is higher where users open externally supplied project, media, or design files.
Exploitation context
The supplied sources do not state active exploitation, and KEV is false. Exploitation requires a victim to open a specially crafted malicious file, so phishing, file exchange, and creative collaboration workflows are plausible delivery paths.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports heap corruption during crafted-file parsing with arbitrary code execution in the current user context. The bundle does not provide exploit details, proof-of-concept status, affected platform specifics, or exact fixed version information beyond the Adobe advisory reference.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory endpoints running Adobe After Effects and identify versions 18.2 or earlier.
- Review Adobe APSB21-49 for vendor-provided update or mitigation guidance.
- Upgrade or remove affected After Effects installations according to Adobe guidance.
- Restrict opening untrusted After Effects files until affected systems are remediated.
- Prioritize controls for teams receiving external project or media files.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed After Effects versions on creative workstations and shared images.
- Check whether any managed or unmanaged systems remain on version 18.2 or earlier.
- Review software inventory for personally installed or unsanctioned After Effects copies.
- Validate high-risk file-exchange users have been remediated or risk-accepted.
- Document compensating controls where vendor remediation is not yet complete.
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-122: 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-2021-28610 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.
Heap-based Buffer Overflow
Heap-based Buffer Overflow represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.