CVE-2022-30649
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe Illustrator that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a victim's system. The vulnerability affects users of Adobe Illustrator versions 26.0.2 and earlier, and 25.4.5 and earlier. Exploitation requires user interaction, specifically opening a malicious file.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Illustrator
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the current user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local code execution allowing malware installation, credential theft, or data exfiltration from the affected system.
If Mitigated
No impact if users don't open untrusted Illustrator files or if proper application sandboxing/security controls prevent code execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code was found in initial research.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 26.0.3 and 25.4.6
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb22-26.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Illustrator. 2. Go to Help > Updates. 3. Follow prompts to install latest version. 4. Alternatively, download from Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Illustrator file opening
allPrevent Illustrator from opening files by modifying file associations
Windows: assoc .ai=
macOS: defaults write com.apple.LaunchServices LSHandlers -array-add '{LSHandlerContentType=com.adobe.ai;LSHandlerRoleAll=;}'
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to block Illustrator execution
- Use email/web gateways to block Illustrator files from untrusted sources
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Illustrator version in Help > About IllustratorCheck Version:
Windows: wmic product where name='Adobe Illustrator' get version
macOS: /Applications/Adobe\ Illustrator*/Adobe\ Illustrator.app/Contents/Info.plist | grep -A1 CFBundleShortVersionStringVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 26.0.3 or higher, or 25.4.6 or higher📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Illustrator crash logs with memory access violations
- Unexpected Illustrator processes spawning child processes
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Illustrator process to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains from Illustrator
SIEM Query:
process_name='Illustrator.exe' AND (parent_process!='explorer.exe' OR child_process_count>2)