CVE-2021-40733
📋 TL;DR
Adobe Animate versions 21.0.9 and earlier contain a memory corruption vulnerability when processing malicious .psd files. This could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as opening a specially crafted file.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Animate
📦 What is this software?
Animate by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise via arbitrary code execution leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Limited compromise of user account and workstation, potentially leading to credential theft or lateral movement within the network.
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or if users avoid opening untrusted .psd files.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) and knowledge of memory corruption techniques.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 21.0.10 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb21-105.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Animate. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to install version 21.0.10 or later. 4. Restart the application.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Block .psd file extensions
allPrevent Adobe Animate from opening .psd files via file association changes.
Windows: assoc .psd=
macOS: Remove Adobe Animate from 'Open with' for .psd files
User awareness training
allTrain users to avoid opening .psd files from untrusted sources.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user permissions to limit impact of code execution
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized executables
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Adobe Animate version via Help > About Adobe Animate. If version is 21.0.9 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Windows: reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Animate\21.0" /v Version | macOS: defaults read /Applications/Adobe\ Animate\ 2021/Adobe\ Animate\ 2021.app/Contents/Info.plist CFBundleShortVersionStringVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 21.0.10 or later via Help > About Adobe Animate.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when processing .psd files
- Unusual process spawning from Adobe Animate
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from Adobe Animate process
SIEM Query:
process_name:"Animate.exe" AND (event_id:1000 OR event_id:1001) OR process_parent_name:"Animate.exe"