CVE-2023-44330
📋 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 Photoshop versions 24.7.1 and earlier, and 25.0 and earlier. Exploitation requires user interaction where the victim opens 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.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data exfiltration, malware installation, or persistence mechanisms being established on the compromised system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions, potentially resulting in application crash rather than full compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code has been identified as of the advisory date.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Photoshop 24.7.2 and 25.1
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb23-56.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to the 'Apps' section. 3. Find Adobe Photoshop and click 'Update'. 4. Wait for the update to download and install. 5. Restart Photoshop when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Photoshop file handling
allConfigure system to open Photoshop files with a different application or restrict Photoshop from opening files from untrusted sources.
Application sandboxing
allRun Photoshop in a sandboxed environment or virtual machine to limit potential damage from exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file handling policies to prevent opening untrusted Photoshop files
- Run Photoshop with minimal user privileges and in isolated environments
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Photoshop version via Help > About Photoshop in the application menu.Check Version:
Photoshop: Help > About Photoshop (GUI only, no command line)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify Photoshop version is 24.7.2 or higher for version 24.x, or 25.1 or higher for version 25.x.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected Photoshop crashes with memory access violations
- Photoshop opening files from unusual locations
- Process creation from Photoshop with unusual parent-child relationships
Network Indicators:
- Photoshop process making unexpected network connections post-file opening
- DNS queries for suspicious domains after file processing
SIEM Query:
source="photoshop_logs" AND (event_type="crash" OR event_type="file_open") AND file_path="*.psd" | where file_hash NOT IN (known_good_hashes)