CVE-2020-3772
📋 TL;DR
This buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Photoshop allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems by exploiting memory handling errors. Users running Photoshop CC 2019 versions 20.0.8 and earlier or Photoshop 2020 versions 21.1 and earlier are vulnerable. Successful exploitation could give attackers full control of the victim's system.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Photoshop CC 2019
- Adobe Photoshop 2020
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control, installing malware, stealing data, and pivoting to other systems.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to malware installation, data theft, or ransomware deployment when opening malicious files.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing, least privilege access, and network segmentation preventing lateral movement.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code available at disclosure time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Photoshop CC 2019: 20.0.9 or later; Photoshop 2020: 21.1.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb20-14.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab. 3. Find Photoshop in your installed apps. 4. Click 'Update' button. 5. Restart Photoshop after update completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Photoshop file handling
allConfigure Photoshop to only open files from trusted locations using application control policies.
Disable Photoshop file associations
windowsRemove Photoshop as default application for image file types to prevent automatic exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized Photoshop execution
- Restrict user privileges to standard user accounts (no admin rights)
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Photoshop version via Help > About Photoshop. If version is Photoshop CC 2019 20.0.8 or earlier, or Photoshop 2020 21.1 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Photoshop: Help > About Photoshop; Windows: wmic product where name='Adobe Photoshop' get version; macOS: /Applications/Adobe\ Photoshop\ 2020/Adobe\ Photoshop\ 2020.app/Contents/Info.plistVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Photoshop version is updated to Photoshop CC 2019 20.0.9 or later, or Photoshop 2020 21.1.1 or later.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Photoshop crash logs with memory access violations
- Unexpected child processes spawned from Photoshop.exe
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Photoshop process
- DNS requests to suspicious domains after Photoshop execution
SIEM Query:
Process Creation where Image contains 'photoshop.exe' AND ParentImage != 'creativecloud.exe' AND ParentImage != 'explorer.exe'