CVE-2022-23200
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe After Effects that could allow arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. Attackers could gain the same privileges as the current user. Users of Adobe After Effects versions 22.1.1 and earlier or 18.4.3 and earlier are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe After Effects
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the victim's computer, data theft, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data exfiltration, malware installation, or persistence mechanisms being established on the compromised system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to user account restrictions, with potential for local file corruption but no network propagation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code available as of knowledge cutoff.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: After Effects 22.2 and 18.4.4
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb22-09.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab. 3. Find Adobe After Effects. 4. Click 'Update' button. 5. Restart computer after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file opening
allConfigure system to prevent opening untrusted After Effects project files
Application control
allUse application whitelisting to restrict execution of After Effects to trusted locations only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict user training about opening untrusted files
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious After Effects behavior
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check After Effects version via Help > About After Effects menuCheck Version:
On Windows: wmic product where name="Adobe After Effects" get version
On macOS: /Applications/Adobe\ After\ Effects\ */Adobe\ After\ Effects.app/Contents/Info.plist | grep -A1 CFBundleShortVersionStringVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 22.2 or higher for current branch, or 18.4.4 or higher for older branch📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected After Effects crashes
- Suspicious file opens in After Effects
- Unusual process spawning from After Effects
Network Indicators:
- After Effects making unexpected network connections post-file open
SIEM Query:
process_name:"AfterFX.exe" AND (event_type:crash OR parent_process:unusual)