Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Adobe After Effects 18.2.1 and earlier can be compromised if a user opens a malicious file. Successful exploitation could run attacker-controlled code as that user, putting creative workstations and accessible project assets at risk.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority workstation risk for creative or media teams. It is not described as remotely exploitable without user action, but compromise could affect valuable files and connected resources.
Technical view
CVE-2021-35994 is a CWE-787 out-of-bounds write in Adobe After Effects JPEG2000 parsing. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.8. Attack vector is local with no privileges required, but user interaction is required. Impact is high for confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on endpoints running Adobe After Effects 18.2.1 or earlier, especially teams that receive external media, project files, or client-supplied assets.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires convincing a victim to open a malicious file, so phishing, shared media workflows, and third-party asset intake are relevant risk contexts.
Researcher notes
Key constraints are user interaction and execution in the current user context. The provided evidence names JPEG2000 parsing and CWE-787, but does not include proof-of-concept details, exploit maturity, or complete patch specifics.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Adobe After Effects installations and identify versions 18.2.1 or earlier.
- Check Adobe APSB21-54 for vendor update guidance and apply supported fixes.
- Limit opening After Effects files from untrusted or unsolicited sources.
- Run creative workstations with least-privilege user accounts where operationally feasible.
- Use endpoint controls to monitor suspicious file-origin and application behavior.
Validation and detection
- Confirm affected endpoints are not running After Effects 18.2.1 or earlier.
- Verify remediation status against Adobe APSB21-54, not only local assumptions.
- Review recent external file intake to identify risky After Effects-related artifacts.
- Check whether users handling untrusted media have unnecessary local administrator rights.
- Confirm security tooling watches After Effects process behavior and suspicious child processes.
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-2021-35994 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/apsb21-54.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.