CVE-2021-40771 – Adobe Prelude versions 10.1 and earlier contain... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-40771?

CVE-2021-40771 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). Adobe Prelude versions 10.1 and earlier contain a memory corruption vulnerability when processing malicious WAV files. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user. Users who open specially crafted WAV files are affected.

📋 TL;DR

Adobe Prelude versions 10.1 and earlier contain a memory corruption vulnerability when processing malicious WAV files. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user. Users who open specially crafted WAV files are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Adobe Prelude

Versions: 10.1 and earlier

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All installations of affected versions are vulnerable by default when processing WAV files.

📦 What is this software?

Prelude by Adobe

View all CVEs affecting Prelude →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system compromise via arbitrary code execution with user privileges, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement.

🟠

Likely Case

Local privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or malware installation on the affected workstation.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact due to user account restrictions, application sandboxing, or network segmentation preventing lateral movement.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code is known.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 10.1.1 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/prelude/apsb21-96.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab. 3. Find Adobe Prelude and click 'Update'. 4. Restart computer after installation completes.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Block WAV file extensions

all

Prevent Prelude from opening .wav files via file association changes.

Windows: assoc .wav=
macOS: defaults write com.apple.LaunchServices LSHandlers -array-add '{LSHandlerContentType=public.audio;LSHandlerRoleAll=com.adobe.Prelude;}'

Disable Prelude file preview

all

Turn off thumbnail/preview generation for audio files in Prelude preferences.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict user permissions to limit damage from code execution.
Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized executables.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Adobe Prelude version in Help > About Prelude. If version is 10.1 or earlier, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

Windows: "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Prelude\Prelude.exe" --version, macOS: /Applications/Adobe Prelude/Adobe Prelude.app/Contents/MacOS/AdobePrelude --version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify version is 10.1.1 or later in Help > About Prelude.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Prelude crash logs with memory access violations
Unexpected child processes spawned from Prelude.exe/AdobePrelude

Network Indicators:

Unexpected outbound connections from Prelude process

SIEM Query:

process_name:"Prelude.exe" OR process_name:"AdobePrelude" AND (event_id:1000 OR event_id:1001)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-40771

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-788

Published: November 22, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/prelude/apsb21-96.html Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/prelude/apsb21-96.html Patch,Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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