CVE-2022-24094
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2022-24094 is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe After Effects that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. Attackers can exploit this to run code with the victim's user privileges. Users of Adobe After Effects versions 22.2 and earlier or 18.4.4 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 with user account isolation preventing lateral movement, though local data remains at risk.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) and knowledge of buffer overflow techniques. No public exploits known at time of advisory.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: After Effects 22.3 and 18.4.5
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb22-17.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app. 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
allPrevent users from opening untrusted After Effects project files from unknown sources
Application control
windowsUse application whitelisting to restrict execution of After Effects to trusted locations only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file handling policies to prevent opening untrusted After Effects project files
- Run After Effects with reduced user privileges using application sandboxing or virtualization
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check After Effects version via Help > About After Effects menu. If version is 22.2 or earlier, or 18.4.4 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\After Effects\[version]\Version. On macOS: Check /Applications/Adobe After Effects [version]/Adobe After Effects.app/Contents/Info.plistVerify Fix Applied:
Verify After Effects version is 22.3 or later, or 18.4.5 or later via Help > About After Effects menu.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected crashes of After Effects process
- Creation of suspicious child processes from After Effects
- Unusual file access patterns from After Effects
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from After Effects to suspicious IPs
- DNS requests for known malicious domains from After Effects process
SIEM Query:
process_name:"AfterFX.exe" AND (event_type:process_creation OR event_type:crash)