Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
File must be opened locally by a user (AV:L, UI:R) with no prior privileges (PR:N), and successful memory corruption yields full code execution (C:H/I:H/A:H).
Primary rating from Vendor (adobe).
CVSS VectorVendor: adobe
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
After Effects versions 26.0, 25.6.4 and earlier are affected by a Stack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
AnalysisAI
Arbitrary code execution in Adobe After Effects 26.0, 25.6.4 and all earlier versions arises from a stack-based buffer overflow (CWE-121) triggered when a victim opens a maliciously crafted project or media file, running code in the context of the current user. Reported by Adobe and tracked in APSB26-48, it carries a CVSS 7.8 (High) with a local attack vector and required user interaction; there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and the EPSS score is 0.01% (1st percentile). SSVC indicates no observed exploitation but total technical impact, making this a patch-on-schedule priority rather than an emergency.
Technical ContextAI
After Effects is Adobe's professional digital motion-graphics and visual-effects compositing application. The root cause is CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow): the affected component parses attacker-controlled file data (a project, footage, or media asset) and copies it into a fixed-size stack buffer without adequate bounds checking, allowing adjacent stack memory - including saved return addresses - to be overwritten. The single CPE cpe:2.3:a:adobe:after_effects:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers the desktop application generically without narrowing by edition or platform. Because the corruption is on the stack, successful exploitation can hijack control flow and lead to arbitrary native code execution within the privileges of the user running After Effects.
RemediationAI
Apply the Adobe-released update for After Effects to a version newer than 26.0 / 25.6.4 as specified in the vendor bulletin at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb26-48.html; the input data does not state the exact fixed build number, so confirm the precise patched version directly from that advisory before deployment. Until patched, reduce exposure by treating After Effects project and media files from untrusted or unsolicited sources as dangerous - do not open them, and restrict which files reach workstations (email/download filtering, sandboxed review), since exploitation requires a user to open a malicious file. Running After Effects under a least-privileged, non-administrative user account limits the blast radius of code execution but does not prevent exploitation and may impede some plugin/workflow operations, a trade-off worth accepting on high-value hosts.
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Same weakness CWE-121 – Stack-based Buffer Overflow
View allShare
External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-29783
GHSA-7cgm-hcwh-pj79