CVE-2023-21576
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe Photoshop that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a victim's system. The vulnerability affects users of Photoshop versions 23.5.3 and earlier, and 24.1 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.
Likely Case
Malware installation, data theft, or ransomware deployment through crafted Photoshop files.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if user runs with minimal privileges and has endpoint protection that detects malicious files.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) and knowledge of file format manipulation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Photoshop 23.5.4 and 24.2
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb23-11.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' section. 3. Find Photoshop and click 'Update'. 4. Restart Photoshop after update completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Photoshop file handling
allConfigure system to open Photoshop files with alternative applications or restrict execution of Photoshop files from untrusted sources.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized Photoshop files
- Educate users to avoid opening Photoshop files from untrusted sources and enable macro/file execution warnings
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Photoshop version via Help > About Photoshop in the application menu.Check Version:
On Windows: Check registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Photoshop\[Version]\Version. On macOS: Check /Applications/Adobe Photoshop [Version]/Adobe Photoshop [Version].app/Contents/Info.plistVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Photoshop version is 23.5.4 or higher for version 23.x, or 24.2 or higher for version 24.x.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Photoshop crash logs with memory access violations
- Unexpected Photoshop process spawning child processes
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Photoshop process
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent process contains 'photoshop' and child process is suspicious (e.g., cmd.exe, powershell.exe, wscript.exe)