CVE-2019-7990
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a heap overflow vulnerability in Adobe Photoshop CC that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. Users running Photoshop CC versions 19.1.8 and earlier or 20.0.5 and earlier are vulnerable. Successful exploitation could give attackers full control of the compromised system.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Photoshop CC
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control, data theft, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data exfiltration, malware installation, or system disruption for targeted attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation, application whitelisting, and user privilege restrictions in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code available at disclosure.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Photoshop CC 19.1.9 and 20.0.6
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb19-44.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab. 3. Find Photoshop CC and click 'Update'. 4. Restart Photoshop after update completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Photoshop file handling
allConfigure system to prevent Photoshop from opening files from untrusted sources
Application control policies
windowsImplement application whitelisting to restrict Photoshop execution to trusted locations
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate Photoshop workstations from critical network segments
- Implement strict file validation procedures for all Photoshop files
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Photoshop version via Help > About Photoshop. If version is 19.1.8 or earlier, or 20.0.5 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: wmic product where name='Adobe Photoshop CC' get version. On macOS: /Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC [version]/Adobe Photoshop CC.app/Contents/Info.plistVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Photoshop version is 19.1.9 or later for 19.x branch, or 20.0.6 or later for 20.x branch.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Photoshop crash logs with heap corruption errors
- Unexpected process creation from Photoshop.exe
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Photoshop process
- DNS queries to suspicious domains
SIEM Query:
process_name='Photoshop.exe' AND (event_id=1000 OR event_id=1001) AND error_code CONTAINS '0xC0000005'