Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This vulnerability affects Adobe Premiere Pro when a user opens a malicious MP4 file. It can expose sensitive memory from the application, which may help an attacker weaken protections such as ASLR. It is not described as remote, automatic, or actively exploited in the provided sources.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate workstation risk. It is not a broad network compromise issue, but media teams processing external files should be updated promptly because confidentiality impact is high.
Technical view
CVE-2021-42265 is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in Adobe Premiere Pro MP4 file parsing. Affected versions are 22.0 and earlier, and 15.4.2 and earlier. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5: local attack vector, no privileges required, user interaction required, high confidentiality impact only.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on workstations running affected Adobe Premiere Pro versions, especially where users import MP4s from clients, partners, public submissions, or other untrusted sources.
Exploitation context
The provided sources say exploitation requires a victim to open a malicious file. The CVE is not listed as KEV, and the bundle does not cite active exploitation or public weaponization.
Researcher notes
The key risk is information disclosure from an MP4 parsing out-of-bounds read, potentially supporting ASLR bypass. The provided bundle does not include fixed build numbers or detailed Adobe remediation text, so validation should anchor on Adobe APSB21-117 and local version inventory.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Adobe Premiere Pro versions across managed endpoints.
- Review Adobe APSB21-117 for vendor-fixed versions and deployment instructions.
- Prioritize updates for media teams handling untrusted MP4 files.
- Restrict opening unsolicited MP4 files until vendor guidance is applied.
- Use endpoint controls to reduce risky file-handling paths where practical.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Premiere Pro 22.0 or earlier is installed.
- Confirm whether Premiere Pro 15.4.2 or earlier is installed.
- Check software management records for Adobe security update deployment.
- Review media intake workflows for untrusted MP4 exposure.
- Document exceptions where updates cannot be applied immediately.
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
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CWE-125: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-42265 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/premiere_pro/apsb21-117.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.