CVE-2021-21074
📋 TL;DR
Adobe Animate versions 21.0.3 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could allow attackers to access sensitive information from the current user's memory. This affects users who open malicious Animate files, requiring user interaction for exploitation.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Animate
📦 What is this software?
Animate by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete disclosure of sensitive information from memory, potentially including credentials, personal data, or system information.
Likely Case
Limited information disclosure from memory, possibly revealing file contents or application data.
If Mitigated
No impact if users don't open untrusted files or if patched versions are used.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) but no authentication needed once file is opened.
🛠️ 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 Creative Cloud application
2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab
3. Find Adobe Animate and click 'Update'
4. Restart computer after update completes
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file opening
allPrevent users from opening untrusted Animate files
Application control
windowsUse application whitelisting to restrict Animate execution
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict policies against opening untrusted Animate files
- Use sandboxing or virtualization for Animate usage
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Adobe Animate version in Help > About Adobe AnimateCheck Version:
On Windows: Check registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Animate\XX.0\InstallLanguage (where XX is major version)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 21.0.4 or higher in Help > About Adobe Animate📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Animate crash logs with memory access violations
- Unexpected file opens from unusual locations
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of Animate files from untrusted sources
SIEM Query:
source="*animate*" AND (event_type="crash" OR file_operation="open") AND file_extension="fla"