CVE-2021-40752 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

Adobe After Effects version 18.4 (and earlier) is affected by a memory corruption vulnerability due to insecure handling of a malicious .m4a file, potentially resulting in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. User interaction is required in that the victim must open a specially crafted file to exploit this vulnerability.

Understanding CVE-2021-40752

Adobe After Effects M4A File Parsing Memory Corruption Arbitrary Code Execution

What is CVE-2021-40752?

Adobe After Effects version 18.4 (and earlier) is vulnerable to a memory corruption issue when handling malicious .m4a files. This could lead to an attacker executing arbitrary code on the victim's system by enticing them to open a crafted file.

The Impact of CVE-2021-40752

This vulnerability has a CVSS base score of 7.8, indicating a high severity level. The impact includes:

High confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact
Low attack complexity but requiring local access
No privileges required for exploitation
User interaction is necessary for the attack to succeed

Technical Details of CVE-2021-40752

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in Adobe After Effects stems from improper handling of .m4a files, leading to a memory corruption flaw. This flaw could be exploited to execute arbitrary code on the affected system.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: After Effects
Vendor: Adobe
Vulnerable Versions:
18.4.1 and earlier versions

Exploitation Mechanism

To exploit CVE-2021-40752, an attacker must create a specially crafted .m4a file and entice a victim to open it using the vulnerable version of Adobe After Effects. Upon opening the malicious file, the attacker could achieve arbitrary code execution.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Adobe After Effects to the patched version.
Be cautious while opening files from untrusted sources.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software to the latest versions.
Educate users about phishing emails and malicious attachments.

Patching and Updates

Ensure the system is regularly updated with the latest security patches and version releases provided by Adobe.