Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This issue affects Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop installer behavior in version 5.5 and earlier. A local attacker who is already authenticated with root privileges could cause a denial of service by placing a malicious file before installation. It does not indicate data theft or code execution in the provided sources.
Executive priority
Treat as a routine endpoint hygiene issue unless affected versions are broadly deployed. The risk is constrained by local access, root privilege requirements, and denial-of-service-only impact, but outdated Creative Cloud deployments should still be removed or updated.
Technical view
CVE-2021-43017 is a local application denial-of-service vulnerability associated with insecure temporary file handling, mapped to CWE-379. The CVSS vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, meaning local access, high privileges, and user interaction are required, with impact limited to availability.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to systems running Adobe Creative Cloud version 5.5 or earlier, especially endpoints where the Creative Cloud Desktop installer is used. Systems without this product/version are not indicated as affected in the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The sources do not report active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. Abuse requires an authenticated attacker with root privileges and user interaction before product installation, which substantially limits practical attack scenarios.
Researcher notes
The affected entry names Adobe GoCart with unspecified versions, while the description references Adobe Creative Cloud 5.5 and earlier. Use Adobe APSB21-111 as the authoritative vendor reference and avoid expanding scope beyond the provided sources.
Mitigation direction
- Check Adobe APSB21-111 for official remediation guidance.
- Inventory endpoints for Adobe Creative Cloud version 5.5 or earlier.
- Update or remove affected Creative Cloud installations where vendor guidance applies.
- Restrict installer execution to trusted administrative workflows.
- Monitor vendor advisories for corrected version details.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop versions on managed endpoints.
- Identify systems where version 5.5 or earlier remains present.
- Review installation procedures for untrusted local file exposure.
- Verify remediation status against Adobe APSB21-111.
- Document exceptions for systems that cannot be updated 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
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 lookupCVE-2021-43017 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
- 4.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H0.63.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.2MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb21-111.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.