CVE-2024-20761
📋 TL;DR
Adobe Animate versions 24.0, 23.0.3 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that could allow arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. This affects users of Adobe Animate who open untrusted animation files. Successful exploitation requires user interaction but could lead to full system compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Animate
📦 What is this software?
Animate by Adobe
Animate by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the current user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to malware installation, credential theft, or lateral movement within the network.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions, potentially only affecting user data within the application context.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code available at time of analysis.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 24.0.1 and later for version 24.x, 23.0.4 and later for version 23.x
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/animate/apsb24-19.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' section. 3. Find Adobe Animate and click 'Update'. 4. Alternatively, download latest version from Adobe website. 5. Restart computer after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file opening
allConfigure application to only open trusted files or disable automatic opening of animation files.
Application sandboxing
allRun Adobe Animate in restricted mode or sandboxed environment to limit potential damage.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file opening policies and user training about untrusted files
- Deploy application control solutions to restrict execution of malicious payloads
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Adobe Animate version via Help > About Adobe Animate. If version is 24.0, 23.0.3 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check via Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features. On macOS: Check via Applications folder > Adobe Animate > Get Info.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 24.0.1 or later (for 24.x) or 23.0.4 or later (for 23.x) in Help > About Adobe Animate.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected process creation from Adobe Animate
- Memory access violations in application logs
- File access to unusual animation formats
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Adobe Animate process to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains after file opening
SIEM Query:
process_name:"Animate.exe" AND (event_type:"process_creation" OR event_type:"file_access") AND suspicious_patterns