Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application 5.4 and earlier has a local file-handling flaw that can let an attacker overwrite files. The business impact is mainly integrity and availability: damaged files or disrupted systems. This is not described as remotely exploitable; it requires local access, administrator privileges, and user interaction.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-severity endpoint patching issue, not an emergency internet-facing incident. Prioritize affected workstations in the normal security update cycle, especially where users have local administrator rights or where file integrity and workstation uptime matter.
Technical view
CVE-2021-28613 is a CWE-379 arbitrary file overwrite issue in Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application 5.4 and earlier. CVSS 3.1 is 7.4, with local attack vector, low complexity, high privileges required, user interaction required, changed scope, and high integrity and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on managed workstations where Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application 5.4 or earlier remains installed. Risk is reduced by the requirement for local access, administrator privileges, and user interaction, but affected creative or marketing endpoints should be prioritized.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not report active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. Exploitation requires a local attacker with administrator privileges plus user interaction, so this is not a remote unauthenticated server-side exposure based on the source bundle.
Researcher notes
The source bundle gives impact and prerequisites but not low-level root cause, exploit method, or specific fixed build. Avoid assuming exploitation in the wild. Validation should focus on product/version presence, privilege context, and whether Adobe’s advisory has been applied.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application installations and identify versions 5.4 or earlier.
- Review Adobe APSB21-76 for the corrected version and vendor-approved update path.
- Prioritize remediation on shared, high-value, or heavily used creative workstations.
- Restrict local administrator access where operationally possible.
- Monitor Adobe security guidance for any updated remediation details.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Creative Cloud Desktop Application versions across endpoint management records.
- Check whether any endpoints still report version 5.4 or earlier.
- Verify remediation status against Adobe APSB21-76 guidance.
- Review privilege assignments for users of affected workstations.
- Document any systems requiring exception handling or delayed updates.
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 lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-28613 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
- 7.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:N/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:H/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H1.15.8Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.4HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb21-76.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.
Creation of Temporary File in Directory with Insecure Permissions
Creation of Temporary File in Directory with Insecure Permissions represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.