CVE-2020-24440
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-24440 is a path traversal vulnerability in Adobe Prelude that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. Attackers can exploit this to run malicious code with the privileges of the current user. This affects Adobe Prelude version 9.0.1 and earlier.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Prelude
📦 What is this software?
Prelude by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the user's system, data theft, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Malware installation leading to data exfiltration, credential theft, and persistence mechanisms being established on the compromised system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to user account restrictions, with potential file system access but no administrative privileges or network access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code available at disclosure.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 9.0.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/prelude/apsb20-70.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' section. 3. Find Adobe Prelude and click 'Update'. 4. Follow on-screen instructions to install version 9.0.2 or later. 5. Restart system after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file execution from untrusted locations
allConfigure system to prevent execution of files from temporary directories and untrusted network locations
Windows: Use AppLocker or Software Restriction Policies
macOS: Use Gatekeeper and restrict execution from Downloads folder
User awareness training
allTrain users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources and verify file authenticity
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user privileges to standard user accounts (not administrator)
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized executables from running
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Adobe Prelude version in Help > About Adobe Prelude. If version is 9.0.1 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Windows: "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Prelude\Prelude.exe" --version (or check in About dialog). macOS: /Applications/Adobe Prelude/Adobe Prelude.app/Contents/MacOS/AdobePrelude --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Adobe Prelude version is 9.0.2 or later in Help > About Adobe Prelude.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected process execution from Adobe Prelude directory
- File access to suspicious locations by Prelude process
- Creation of unexpected child processes by Prelude
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Adobe Prelude process to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains from system running Prelude
SIEM Query:
process_name:"Prelude.exe" AND (process_parent:"explorer.exe" OR cmdline_contains:"malicious" OR file_path_contains:"temp")