CVE-2021-21072
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2021-21072 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Adobe Animate that allows an attacker to read sensitive memory contents. Users who open maliciously crafted Animate files are affected, potentially exposing confidential information from their system. This requires user interaction through opening a malicious file.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Animate
📦 What is this software?
Animate by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete memory disclosure leading to exposure of sensitive data, credentials, or system information that could enable further attacks.
Likely Case
Limited information disclosure from application memory, potentially revealing file contents or temporary data.
If Mitigated
No impact if users don't open untrusted Animate files or have patched software.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) but no authentication. No public exploit code was widely reported.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 21.0.4 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb21-21.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Animate. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to install version 21.0.4 or later. 4. Restart the application.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Animate file execution
allConfigure system policies to prevent execution of untrusted Animate files.
User awareness training
allTrain users not to open Animate files from untrusted sources.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to block Animate execution
- Use email/web gateways to block Animate file attachments
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Adobe Animate version via Help > About Adobe Animate. If version is 21.0.3 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Not applicable - check via application GUI on Windows/macOSVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 21.0.4 or later in Help > About Adobe Animate.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes in Adobe Animate
- Unusual file access patterns for .fla or .xfl files
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of Animate files from suspicious sources
SIEM Query:
source="*adobe*" AND (event_type="crash" OR file_extension="fla" OR file_extension="xfl")