CVE-2019-7958
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2019-7958 is an insecure inherited permissions vulnerability in Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application that allows local attackers to escalate privileges by manipulating files with weak permissions. This affects all users running Creative Cloud Desktop Application versions 4.6.1 and earlier on Windows systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local attacker gains SYSTEM/administrator privileges on the Windows machine, enabling complete system compromise, data theft, malware installation, and persistence.
Likely Case
Local user or malware with limited privileges escalates to administrator rights to bypass security controls, install additional malware, or access protected resources.
If Mitigated
With proper patching and least privilege principles, impact is limited to denial of service or local file manipulation within user context.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access but is straightforward once local access is obtained. The vulnerability involves manipulating files with weak inherited permissions.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.7.0.400 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb19-39.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Creative Cloud Desktop Application. 2. Click the gear icon (Settings). 3. Select 'Preferences'. 4. Click 'Update' tab. 5. Click 'Check for Updates'. 6. Install any available updates. 7. Restart the application and system if prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Remove vulnerable versions
windowsUninstall Creative Cloud Desktop Application versions 4.6.1 and earlier
Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program > Select Adobe Creative Cloud > Uninstall
Restrict local access
allImplement strict local access controls and least privilege principles
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove Creative Cloud Desktop Application from high-risk systems
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Creative Cloud Desktop Application version in Settings > Preferences > General tabCheck Version:
Not applicable - check through application GUIVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 4.7.0.400 or higher in Settings > Preferences > General tab📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- Creative Cloud process spawning with elevated privileges
- File permission modification events in Creative Cloud directories
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND ProcessName LIKE '%Creative Cloud%' AND NewProcessName LIKE '%*' AND IntegrityLevel='High'