CVE-2024-20792
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a Use After Free vulnerability in Adobe Illustrator that could allow arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. The vulnerability affects Illustrator versions 28.4, 27.9.3 and earlier, putting users who open untrusted Illustrator files at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Illustrator
📦 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 after a user opens a malicious Illustrator file.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if users only open trusted files and have proper endpoint protection in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) and knowledge of memory corruption techniques.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 28.5 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb24-30.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab. 3. Find Illustrator and click 'Update'. 4. Restart Illustrator after update completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file opening
allConfigure Illustrator to only open files from trusted sources or block specific file types.
Application control
allUse application whitelisting to prevent execution of malicious payloads.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict policies against opening Illustrator files from untrusted sources
- Use sandboxing or virtualization for Illustrator when opening untrusted files
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Illustrator version via Help > About Illustrator. If version is 28.4, 27.9.3 or earlier, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check Illustrator.exe properties. On macOS: Check Illustrator.app Info.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify Illustrator version is 28.5 or later after updating through Creative Cloud.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected Illustrator crashes
- Suspicious file opening events in application logs
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Illustrator to unknown IPs after file opening
SIEM Query:
Illustrator.exe AND (crash OR memory_access_violation) OR file_extension:.ai AND process_create