Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Adobe Animate 21.0.6 and earlier can be compromised if a user opens a malicious file. Successful exploitation could run attacker-controlled code with that user's permissions, which can expose files, alter data, or disrupt the workstation.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority workstation risk where Adobe Animate is used. The business urgency is highest for creative teams handling external files, because compromise requires user interaction but can lead to full impact in the user's context.
Technical view
CVE-2021-28629 is a heap-based buffer overflow in Adobe Animate. The CVSS 3.0 vector is local attack, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to endpoints with Adobe Animate 21.0.6 or earlier, especially users who receive or open untrusted Animate-related files. This is not described as remotely exploitable without user interaction.
Exploitation context
The provided sources say exploitation requires a victim to open a malicious file. The CVE is not listed as KEV in the bundle, and no cited source here reports active exploitation.
Researcher notes
No CPEs or fixed version details are included in the provided bundle. Version scoping relies on the CVE description and Adobe advisory reference. Avoid assuming exploit availability or patch specifics beyond APSB21-50 guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Adobe Animate installations and versions.
- Prioritize Adobe Animate 21.0.6 and earlier for remediation.
- Apply Adobe APSB21-50 guidance for affected Animate installs.
- Remove unused Adobe Animate installations from managed endpoints.
- Warn users not to open untrusted Animate files.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Adobe Animate is installed on endpoints.
- Check installed versions against 21.0.6 and earlier.
- Verify remediation follows Adobe APSB21-50 guidance.
- Review endpoint controls for suspicious file-open activity.
- Confirm no unsupported Animate installs remain.
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
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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-2021-28629 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 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/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:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/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/animate/apsb21-50.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.