Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-44188 is a file-handling flaw in Adobe After Effects. If a user opens a malicious 3GP file, the attacker could potentially run code as that user. The main business risk is compromise of creative workstations that handle externally supplied media.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for creative teams handling outside media. It is not known from the provided sources to be actively exploited, but successful exploitation could compromise user workstations and business files.
Technical view
Adobe describes an out-of-bounds read in After Effects 22.0 and earlier, and 18.4.2 and earlier. The flaw is CWE-125 and can read past an allocated memory structure. CVSS 3.1 is 7.8 with required user interaction and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely where Adobe After Effects versions 22.0 or earlier, or 18.4.2 or earlier, remain installed and users open 3GP or externally supplied media files.
Exploitation context
The sources state exploitation requires user interaction: a victim must open a malicious file. CISA KEV status is false in the bundle, and no provided source confirms active exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is solid for affected versions, impact, CVSS, CWE, and user-interaction requirement. The provided bundle does not include specific fixed version numbers or compensating controls, so remediation should be tied directly to Adobe APSB21-115.
Mitigation direction
- Review Adobe APSB21-115 for the vendor-approved update path.
- Update affected Adobe After Effects installations per Adobe guidance.
- Limit opening 3GP files from unknown or untrusted sources.
- Use least-privilege accounts on creative workstations.
- Apply endpoint controls for externally supplied media files.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Adobe After Effects versions across managed endpoints.
- Flag installations at 22.0 or earlier and 18.4.2 or earlier.
- Confirm remediation against Adobe APSB21-115 guidance.
- Review email, download, and file-share paths for untrusted media intake.
- Check whether creative users process third-party 3GP 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-125: 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-2021-44188 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 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/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:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/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/after_effects/apsb21-115.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.