Adobe After Effects — CraftedSignal Threat Feed

CVE-2026-34690: Adobe After Effects Stack-based Buffer Overflow

hello@craftedsignal.io — Tue, 12 May 2026 20:21:49 +0000

Adobe After Effects versions 26.0, 25.6.4 and earlier are vulnerable to a stack-based buffer overflow (CVE-2026-34690). An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The exploit requires user interaction, specifically, the victim must open a specially crafted malicious file in After Effects. This vulnerability poses a significant risk as successful exploitation could allow an attacker to compromise the user’s system.

Attack Chain

An attacker crafts a malicious After Effects project file.
The attacker distributes the malicious file to a target victim, potentially via email or other file-sharing methods.
The victim opens the malicious After Effects project file in a vulnerable version (<=26.0, 25.6.4).
The vulnerable application attempts to parse the malicious file.
Due to the buffer overflow in the parsing logic, the attacker can overwrite parts of the stack with controlled values.
The code execution is redirected to the attacker’s payload.
The attacker executes arbitrary code in the context of the user.
The attacker can then install malware, steal data, or perform other malicious actions.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-34690 allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim’s system. This can lead to a full system compromise, potentially resulting in data theft, malware installation, or other malicious activities. Since the attack requires user interaction, targeted spearphishing attacks are a likely vector.

Recommendation

Upgrade to a version of Adobe After Effects that addresses CVE-2026-34690; apply the security patch referenced in the Adobe advisory.
Deploy the Sigma rules provided below to your SIEM to detect potential exploitation attempts.
Educate users about the risks of opening files from untrusted sources to mitigate the user interaction requirement.

CVE-2026-34643: Adobe After Effects Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability

hello@craftedsignal.io — Tue, 12 May 2026 18:27:12 +0000

Adobe After Effects versions 26.0, 25.6.4, and older are vulnerable to an out-of-bounds write vulnerability (CVE-2026-34643). This flaw could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the currently logged-on user. Successful exploitation requires a user to open a specially crafted, malicious file using the affected version of After Effects. The vulnerability poses a significant risk to users who handle files from untrusted sources, as it could lead to system compromise.

Attack Chain

Attacker crafts a malicious After Effects project file (.aep) designed to trigger an out-of-bounds write.
The attacker delivers the malicious .aep file to a victim, likely through email or file sharing.
The victim opens the malicious .aep file using a vulnerable version of Adobe After Effects (26.0, 25.6.4, or earlier).
After Effects processes the crafted file, leading to the out-of-bounds write condition during parsing.
The out-of-bounds write corrupts memory, potentially overwriting critical data structures.
The attacker leverages the memory corruption to inject and execute arbitrary code.
The injected code executes within the context of the After Effects process, inheriting the user’s privileges.
The attacker gains control of the system, enabling them to perform actions such as installing malware, stealing data, or further compromising the network.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-34643 allows for arbitrary code execution on the victim’s system. This can result in complete system compromise, data theft, malware installation, and further propagation of the attack within an organization. Given the popularity of After Effects in creative industries, a successful attack could have widespread consequences.

Recommendation

Upgrade to a version of Adobe After Effects that is not affected by CVE-2026-34643.
Exercise caution when opening After Effects project files (.aep) from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires user interaction.
Monitor process creation events for suspicious child processes spawned by After Effects using process creation logs to detect potential exploitation, as outlined in the provided Sigma rules.
Consider implementing application control policies to restrict the execution of unauthorized code within the After Effects process.

CVE-2026-34642: Adobe After Effects Heap-based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

hello@craftedsignal.io — Tue, 12 May 2026 18:26:56 +0000

Adobe After Effects versions 26.0, 25.6.4, and earlier are susceptible to a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability, identified as CVE-2026-34642. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the current user. However, this vulnerability necessitates user interaction; a victim must open a specially crafted, malicious file for the exploit to be triggered. This vulnerability poses a significant risk to users who routinely handle After Effects project files from untrusted sources, potentially leading to system compromise.

Attack Chain

Attacker crafts a malicious After Effects project file designed to trigger the heap-based buffer overflow.
The attacker distributes the malicious file to potential victims via email, shared drives, or other file-sharing mechanisms.
The victim, unaware of the file’s malicious nature, opens the file using a vulnerable version of Adobe After Effects (26.0, 25.6.4, or earlier).
Upon opening, the crafted file exploits the heap-based buffer overflow within After Effects during the parsing or rendering process.
The buffer overflow allows the attacker to overwrite memory locations on the heap, injecting malicious code into the application’s memory space.
The injected code executes within the context of the After Effects process, inheriting the user’s privileges.
The attacker gains control of the user’s system and can perform actions such as installing malware, stealing sensitive data, or creating new user accounts.
The attacker pivots to other systems or networks, potentially compromising additional assets.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-34642 can result in arbitrary code execution, allowing an attacker to gain complete control over the affected system. Given the potential for sensitive data exposure and system compromise, organizations relying on Adobe After Effects for creative workflows are at considerable risk. This vulnerability could lead to intellectual property theft, data breaches, and significant operational disruptions.

Recommendation

Immediately update Adobe After Effects to a version beyond 26.0 or 25.6.4 to patch CVE-2026-34642.
Deploy the Sigma rule Detect Suspicious After Effects File Opening to your SIEM to detect potential exploitation attempts.
Educate users about the risks of opening files from untrusted sources to prevent initial access.
Monitor process creation events for suspicious processes spawned by After Effects as detected by the Detect After Effects Process Spawning Unusual Programs Sigma rule.