Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Adobe Captivate 11.5.5 and earlier has an installer flaw involving insecure temporary file handling. A local attacker who can place a malicious file on the victim machine could gain privilege escalation when the victim launches the Captivate Installer. This is not remotely exploitable and requires user interaction, but it can matter on shared or managed workstations.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate endpoint hygiene issue, not an internet-facing emergency. Prioritize remediation where Captivate is used by staff with elevated access or where shared workstations increase local attack opportunities.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-379: creation of a temporary file in a directory with incorrect permissions. The CVSS 3.1 score is 5.0: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, user interaction required, unchanged scope, no confidentiality or availability impact, and high integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on endpoints or build/admin workstations where Adobe Captivate 11.5.5 or earlier is installed or where users may launch the affected Captivate Installer.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not cite active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. Exploitation requires local access or prior ability to plant a malicious file in a specific location, plus victim interaction by launching the installer.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE metadata and Adobe advisory reference. Do not assume remote exploitability or public exploitation from these sources. Validation should focus on installed Captivate versions, installer availability, and endpoint policy around local installer execution.
Mitigation direction
- Identify Adobe Captivate installations at version 11.5.5 or earlier.
- Review Adobe APSB21-60 for the vendor-supported update or mitigation path.
- Restrict who can run software installers on managed endpoints.
- Avoid launching Captivate installers from untrusted or shared locations.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for Adobe Captivate version 11.5.5 or earlier.
- Confirm whether affected installer packages remain accessible to users.
- Check endpoint controls limiting local file placement and installer execution.
- Verify remediation status against Adobe APSB21-60 guidance.
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 lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-36002 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/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:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N1.33.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/captivate/apsb21-60.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.