CVE-2022-28278
📋 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. Users who open malicious Photoshop files are at risk, with exploitation requiring user interaction. The vulnerability affects Photoshop versions 22.5.6 and earlier, and 23.2.2 and earlier.
💻 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 networks.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or malware installation on the affected workstation, potentially leading to credential theft or data exfiltration from the compromised system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper security controls like application sandboxing, least privilege user accounts, and network segmentation preventing lateral movement.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code was available at disclosure time, but the vulnerability type (out-of-bounds write) is commonly exploited.
🛠️ 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 the 'Apps' section. 3. Find Photoshop and click 'Update' if available. 4. Alternatively, download the latest version from Adobe's website. 5. Install the update and restart your computer.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Photoshop file handling
allConfigure system to open Photoshop files only from trusted sources and implement file type restrictions.
Run Photoshop with reduced privileges
windowsExecute Photoshop with limited user permissions to reduce impact of successful exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code
- Use network segmentation to isolate Photoshop workstations from critical systems
🔍 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, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check via Photoshop Help menu or registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Photoshop. On macOS: Check via Photoshop > About Photoshop or /Applications/Adobe Photoshop [version]/Verify Fix Applied:
Verify Photoshop version is 22.5.7 or later for version 22.x, or 23.3 or later for version 23.x.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected Photoshop crashes with memory access violations
- Process creation from Photoshop with unusual command lines
- File access to suspicious Photoshop file formats from untrusted sources
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Photoshop process to unexpected destinations
- DNS queries for suspicious domains following Photoshop execution
SIEM Query:
process_name:"photoshop.exe" AND (event_id:1 OR event_id:4688) AND (command_line:*powershell* OR command_line:*cmd* OR command_line:*wmic*)