CVE-2022-28272
📋 TL;DR
Adobe Photoshop versions 22.5.6 and earlier and 23.2.2 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user. This requires user interaction where a victim opens a malicious file. All users running affected Photoshop versions are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Photoshop
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise through arbitrary code execution leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to unauthorized access to sensitive files and system resources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper user training and file restrictions preventing malicious file execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) and knowledge of file format manipulation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Photoshop 22.5.7 and 23.3
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb22-20.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab. 3. Find Photoshop and click 'Update'. 4. Restart Photoshop after update completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Photoshop file execution
allConfigure system policies to prevent execution of Photoshop files from untrusted sources
User awareness training
allTrain users to only open Photoshop files from trusted sources and verify file integrity
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to restrict Photoshop execution to trusted directories only
- Deploy endpoint protection with file reputation checking for Photoshop file formats
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Photoshop version via Help > About Photoshop. If version is 22.5.6 or earlier, or 23.2.2 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Photoshop: Help > About Photoshop. Windows: wmic product where name='Adobe Photoshop' get version. macOS: /Applications/Adobe\ Photoshop\ */Adobe\ Photoshop.app/Contents/Info.plistVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Photoshop version is 22.5.7 or higher for version 22.x, or 23.3 or higher for version 23.x.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Photoshop crash logs with memory access violations
- Windows Event Logs showing Photoshop process spawning unexpected child processes
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Photoshop process post-file opening
SIEM Query:
process_name='photoshop.exe' AND (event_id=1000 OR event_id=1001) AND command_line CONTAINS '.psd' OR '.psb'