CVE-2021-40761 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Adobe After Effects version 18.4.1 (and earlier) is affected by a Null pointer dereference vulnerability. An attacker could exploit this issue to cause a denial-of-service attack on the application. This CVE has a CVSS base score of 5.5.

Understanding CVE-2021-40761

Adobe After Effects NULL Pointer Dereference Application Denial of Service

What is CVE-2021-40761?

CVE ID: CVE-2021-40761
Published Date: October 26, 2021
Vendor: Adobe
Affected Versions: Adobe After Effects <= 18.4.1
CVE Description: Null pointer dereference vulnerability that can lead to a denial-of-service attack by an unauthenticated attacker through a specially crafted file.
CWE ID: CWE-476 - NULL Pointer Dereference

The Impact of CVE-2021-40761

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Local
Availability Impact: High
Base Score: 5.5 (Medium)
User Interaction Required: Yes
Exploitation: Requires victim to open a malicious file

Technical Details of CVE-2021-40761

Adobe After Effects NULL Pointer Dereference Application Denial of Service

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability is due to a null pointer dereference issue when parsing a malicious file in Adobe After Effects, leading to an application denial-of-service.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: After Effects
Vendor: Adobe
Versions Affected: <= 18.4.1

Exploitation Mechanism

An attacker needs to craft a malicious file to exploit the vulnerability
The victim must interact with the malicious file to trigger the denial-of-service

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to protect systems against CVE-2021-40761

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the necessary security updates provided by Adobe
Educate users about phishing attacks and not opening unknown files

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software to patch known vulnerabilities
Implement security best practices to prevent malicious attacks
Use endpoint protection solutions to detect and block suspicious activities

Patching and Updates

Adobe released a patch for After Effects to address this vulnerability
Check Adobe's security advisory for the latest updates and patches