CVE-2021-40781 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Adobe Media Encoder 15.4.1 (and earlier) is affected by a Null pointer dereference vulnerability, potentially leading to an application denial-of-service. This CVE was made public on October 26, 2021.

Understanding CVE-2021-40781

Adobe Media Encoder experienced a Null pointer dereference issue that could be abused by an unauthenticated attacker to cause application denial-of-service.

What is CVE-2021-40781?

CVE ID: CVE-2021-40781
Vendor: Adobe
Affected Version: Media Encoder <= 15.4.1
Vulnerability Type: Null Pointer Dereference
CWE ID: CWE-476
CVSS Base Score: 5.5 (Medium Severity)
CVSS Vector: AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

The Impact of CVE-2021-40781

Adobe Media Encoder's vulnerability could result in an application denial-of-service due to a Null pointer dereference exploit.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-40781

Adobe Media Encoder's vulnerability has the following technical details:

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from a Null pointer dereference vulnerability during parsing specially crafted files.
An unauthenticated attacker could exploit this to cause an application denial-of-service.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Media Encoder
Vendor: Adobe
Versions: <= 15.4.1 (and earlier)

Exploitation Mechanism

Requires user interaction; victims need to open a malicious file for exploitation.

Mitigation and Prevention

Adobe Media Encoder users should take immediate and long-term steps to secure their systems.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Adobe Media Encoder to the latest version.
Refrain from opening suspicious or unknown files.
Consider restricting user permissions to mitigate the impact of potential attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software to eliminate known vulnerabilities.
Educate users on safe browsing habits and file handling procedures.

Patching and Updates

Adobe has likely released patches addressing this vulnerability. Ensure all systems are up to date with the latest security fixes.