Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Adobe Digital Editions had an installer flaw that could let an authenticated attacker write files on the system during installation. This is not described as a remote internet attack, but it can matter on workstations where the installer is available or routinely used.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate endpoint hygiene issue. Prioritize cleanup where Digital Editions is deployed broadly, used by privileged staff, or distributed through internal software channels.
Technical view
CVE-2021-39827 affects Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.11.187646 and earlier. The installer is vulnerable to arbitrary file system write, mapped to CWE-379. CVSS 3.1 is 6.5 with local access, low complexity, high privileges, and required user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on endpoints with Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.11.187646 or earlier, or software distribution paths that still provide the vulnerable installer.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not indicate active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. Abuse requires authenticated local context and user interaction before product installation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Adobe advisory reference. The bundle identifies arbitrary file write in the installer but does not provide patch details, exploit evidence, or deeper root-cause analysis.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Adobe Digital Editions installations and installer packages across managed endpoints.
- Review Adobe APSB21-80 for the vendor-supported update or mitigation path.
- Remove vulnerable installer packages from software portals, images, and shared deployment locations.
- Restrict who can run installers on managed workstations where practical.
- Monitor endpoint controls for unusual file writes during software installation.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.11.187646 or earlier is installed.
- Check software deployment repositories for older Digital Editions installer packages.
- Verify endpoint management has replaced or removed vulnerable installers.
- Review installation logs for unexpected writes around Digital Editions install activity.
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 lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-39827 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
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H0.65.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/Digital-Editions/apsb21-80.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.