Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-36001 is a low-severity Adobe Character Animator issue where opening a maliciously crafted file could expose small amounts of memory from the current user's session. It is not a remote, no-click issue; the victim must open the file.
Executive priority
Handle through the normal workstation patch cycle unless Character Animator is broadly deployed or used with external files. The business risk is limited, but patching is still appropriate because exploitation depends on user file opening.
Technical view
The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds read in Adobe Character Animator PNG file parsing, mapped to CWE-125. Sources list Adobe Character Animator version 4.2 and earlier as affected. CVSS 3.1 is 3.3: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, required user interaction, and low confidentiality impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on endpoints running Adobe Character Animator 4.2 or earlier, especially where users receive or open untrusted animation, image, or project files from external sources.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires social engineering or another delivery path that convinces a user to open a malicious file.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports low confidentiality impact through a local, user-assisted file parsing bug. The provided sources do not identify public exploitation, exploit maturity, or exact fixed version details beyond the Adobe bulletin reference, so remediation should be confirmed against vendor guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Check Adobe APSB21-59 and apply the vendor-recommended Character Animator update.
- Restrict opening Character Animator files from untrusted or external sources.
- Prioritize updates on systems used for external creative collaboration.
- Use endpoint controls to quarantine suspicious downloaded files.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for Adobe Character Animator installations and versions.
- Confirm whether any installations are version 4.2 or earlier.
- Review Adobe APSB21-59 for the applicable fixed version or update path.
- Check mail, download, and collaboration controls for untrusted file handling.
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-125: 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 lookupCVE-2021-36001 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
- Low
- CVSS
- 3.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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:L/I:N/A:N1.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
3.3LowVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/in/security/products/character_animator/apsb21-59.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 Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.