Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-36060 affects Adobe Media Encoder 15.2 and earlier. A malicious media file could cause the application to read memory it should not expose, potentially leaking sensitive data and helping bypass protections like ASLR. Exploitation requires a user to open the malicious file.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate workstation risk. It is not identified as actively exploited in the supplied evidence, but affected media workflows can receive untrusted files, making timely inventory and vendor-guided remediation appropriate.
Technical view
This is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in Adobe Media Encoder MPEG file parsing. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, user interaction required, high confidentiality impact, no integrity or availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is mainly on workstations running Adobe Media Encoder 15.2 or earlier, especially users who handle externally supplied MPEG or media files. The supplied sources do not identify server-side exposure or broader Adobe product impact.
Exploitation context
The source bundle reports required user interaction: a victim must open a malicious file. CISA KEV status is false in the bundle, and no cited source here confirms active exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record, CVE List data, and Adobe advisory reference. The bundle does not provide exploit details, observed exploitation, or a specific fixed version. The key technical point is memory disclosure from MPEG parsing with user-assisted local execution.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Adobe Media Encoder versions across managed endpoints.
- Prioritize review of systems running version 15.2 or earlier.
- Check Adobe APSB21-43 for vendor-approved update or remediation guidance.
- Limit opening untrusted media files on vulnerable workstations until remediated.
- Use normal endpoint controls to quarantine suspicious media attachments or downloads.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Adobe Media Encoder versions on creative workstations.
- Verify whether any installations are version 15.2 or earlier.
- Review Adobe APSB21-43 and document the applicable remediation path.
- Check endpoint telemetry for users opening unexpected or externally sourced MPEG files.
- Confirm remediation through software inventory after updates or configuration changes.
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
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-36060 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
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/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:H/I:N/A:N1.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/media-encoder/apsb21-43.htmlCVE reference · vendor-advisory
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.