CVE-2022-28276
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe Photoshop that could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The vulnerability affects users running Photoshop versions 22.5.6 and earlier or 23.2.2 and earlier. Exploitation requires user interaction through opening a malicious file.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Photoshop
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the victim's computer in the context of the current user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to unauthorized access to sensitive files, installation of malware, or persistence mechanisms on the affected system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions, potentially resulting in application crash but no code execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) and knowledge of memory corruption techniques. No public exploits known at time of advisory.
🛠️ 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' section. 3. Find Photoshop in your installed apps. 4. Click 'Update' button. 5. Wait for download and installation to complete. 6. Restart Photoshop when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Photoshop file handling
allConfigure system to open Photoshop files with alternative applications or restrict Photoshop from opening files from untrusted sources.
Application sandboxing
allRun Photoshop in a sandboxed environment to limit potential damage from exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user privileges to standard user accounts (not administrator)
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Photoshop version via Help > About Photoshop in the application menu. If version is 22.5.6 or earlier, or 23.2.2 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check Photoshop.exe properties > Details tab. On macOS: Right-click Photoshop.app > Get Info.Verify 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
- Unexpected child processes spawned from Photoshop.exe
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Photoshop process
- DNS requests to suspicious domains after file opening
SIEM Query:
Process Creation where (Image contains 'photoshop.exe' AND ParentImage != 'photoshop.exe') OR (Process contains 'photoshop' AND CommandLine contains suspicious file extensions)