Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-44180 is a memory corruption flaw in Adobe Dimension that can let a malicious file run code as the signed-in user. It requires the victim to open a crafted file, so exposure is mainly user workstations, not servers. The bundle reports Adobe Dimension 3.4.3 and earlier as affected.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority where Adobe Dimension exists in business workflows. It is not described as remotely exploitable without user action, but successful compromise could give attacker code execution with the user’s privileges.
Technical view
The issue is an out-of-bounds write, mapped to CWE-787, in Adobe Dimension file parsing. CVSS 3.0 is 7.8 with local attack vector and required user interaction. The title references PCX parsing, while the description says malicious GIF; treat file-type evidence as inconsistent in the provided sources.
Likely exposure
Organizations are exposed if Adobe Dimension 3.4.3 or earlier is installed, especially on creative or marketing workstations handling external media files.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or other active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires user interaction: opening a malicious file.
Researcher notes
Key uncertainty: the provided title says PCX parsing, while the description says malicious GIF. Do not assume both file types are affected without vendor or advisory confirmation. No exploit steps or active exploitation evidence are present in the supplied bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Check Adobe APSB21-116 for the vendor-correct fixed version and update path.
- Prioritize patching or removing Adobe Dimension 3.4.3 and earlier.
- Restrict opening untrusted media files in Adobe Dimension.
- Use least-privilege desktop accounts to reduce impact.
- Monitor vendor guidance for any clarified file-type details.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for Adobe Dimension installations and versions.
- Confirm whether any installed version is 3.4.3 or earlier.
- Review Adobe APSB21-116 and verify the vendor-recommended update is applied.
- Check security tooling for blocked or quarantined suspicious media attachments.
- Validate user-risk controls for externally supplied design files.
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-787: 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 lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-44180 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dimension/apsb21-116.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-1571/CVE 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.
Out-of-bounds Write
Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.