CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2022-27784NVD status: Modified

After Effects: Out-of-bounds Write

CVE-2022-27784 is a high-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability in After Effects from Adobe, with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected After Effects versions: 22.2.1 and earlier; 18.4.5 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 3.94% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is in the top 9.45% of all scored CVEs.

Patch this week

Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.

What to do

  1. Check which version of After Effects you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on helpx.adobe.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  3. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
AdobeAfter Effects22.2.1 and earlier; 18.4.5 and earlierNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Access vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network.
Access complexity
MediumSome conditions must be met.
Authentication
NoneNo login is needed.
Confidentiality
CompleteAll data can be read.
Integrity
CompleteAny data can be modified.
Availability
CompleteThe system can be shut down completely.

Vector: AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.17.8HighCNA (adobe.com)
CVSS 2.09.3HighNVD

Official description

Adobe After Effects versions 22.2.1 (and earlier) and 18.4.5 (and earlier) are affected by a stack overflow vulnerability due to insecure handling of a crafted file, potentially resulting in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction in that a victim must open a crafted file in After Effects.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Write

The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples include the Safe C String Library (SafeStr) by Messier and Viega, and the Strsafe.h library from Microsoft. These libraries provide safer versions of overflow-prone string-handling functions.
  • Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.

More Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities (CWE-787)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in After Effects

All After Effects vulnerabilities

Recent Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities

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