Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a denial-of-service flaw in Adobe Prelude. A malicious file can crash the application when a user opens it. It does not indicate data theft or system takeover in the supplied sources, but it can disrupt media workflows on affected endpoints.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted workstation availability risk, not an enterprise-wide compromise signal. Remediate affected media-production endpoints through vendor guidance, with priority where external file exchange is routine.
Technical view
Adobe Prelude 10.1 and earlier contain a null pointer dereference vulnerability during crafted file parsing. The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, unchanged scope, and high availability impact only.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on workstations where Adobe Prelude 10.1 or earlier is installed, especially media-production systems that receive files from external parties. Systems without Adobe Prelude are not affected based on the supplied sources.
Exploitation context
The attacker must convince a victim to open a malicious file in Adobe Prelude. The supplied bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or other evidence of active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The evidence supports CWE-476 null pointer dereference and application denial of service only. The source bundle does not provide exploit details, confirmed exploitation, or a specific fixed version, so validation should stay tied to Adobe’s bulletin.
Mitigation direction
- Identify endpoints running Adobe Prelude 10.1 or earlier.
- Review Adobe APSB21-96 and apply vendor-recommended remediation.
- Restrict opening untrusted Prelude-related files until remediation is complete.
- Prioritize media teams handling externally supplied files.
- Reinforce safe handling of unexpected media project files.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Prelude versions are not 10.1 or earlier.
- Verify remediation status against Adobe APSB21-96.
- Review asset inventory for remaining affected installations.
- Check endpoint telemetry for recurring Prelude crashes after file intake.
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-476: 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-2021-40773 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:N/I:N/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:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6Primary 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:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/prelude/apsb21-96.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.
NULL Pointer Dereference
NULL Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.