Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw affects Adobe After Effects when it parses malicious MOV files. A user must open the file. The likely business impact is limited information disclosure from workstation memory, potentially helping bypass defenses such as ASLR. It is not a remote, no-click compromise based on the provided sources.
Executive priority
Treat this as a low-severity workstation exposure. Remediate through normal patch management, with higher priority for teams handling untrusted media. It does not justify emergency response unless local evidence suggests targeted malicious files.
Technical view
CVE-2021-44193 is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in Adobe After Effects MOV file parsing. Affected versions are 22.0 and earlier, and 18.4.2 and earlier. CVSS 3.1 is 3.3 with local attack vector, no privileges required, user interaction required, and low confidentiality impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on creative workstations or render workflows using affected After Effects versions and opening MOV files from clients, vendors, public submissions, or other untrusted sources.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show known active exploitation, and this CVE is not listed as KEV. Exploitation requires a victim to open a malicious file, and the described impact is sensitive memory disclosure, not direct code execution.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE data and Adobe advisory reference. The bundle does not provide exploit details, fixed build numbers, or proof of exploitation. Avoid assuming broader Adobe product impact beyond After Effects and the affected version ranges stated.
Mitigation direction
- Identify Adobe After Effects installations and compare versions against the affected ranges.
- Review Adobe APSB21-115 and apply vendor-recommended updates or remediation.
- Limit opening MOV files from untrusted or unsolicited sources on affected systems.
- Route externally supplied media through established malware scanning and intake controls.
- Prioritize remediation on workstations handling public, client, or vendor media.
Validation and detection
- Inventory After Effects versions across managed endpoints and creative workstations.
- Flag versions 22.0 and earlier, and 18.4.2 and earlier, for remediation review.
- Confirm affected systems have followed Adobe APSB21-115 guidance.
- Review workflows where users open third-party MOV files in After Effects.
- Check endpoint telemetry for suspicious media files delivered to creative users.
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 lookupCVE-2021-44193 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
- Low
- CVSS
- 3.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/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:L/I:N/A:N1.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
3.3LowVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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.