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Adobe Bridge EUVDEUVD-2026-49950

| CVE-2026-48391 HIGH
Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426)
2026-07-28 adobe GHSA-mv25-4xg6-wwxj
8.2
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: adobe
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Plant malicious library beside asset file
  2. Delivery
    Deliver crafted file to victim
  3. Exploit
    Victim opens file in Bridge
  4. Execution
    Bridge loads library via untrusted search path
  5. Impact
    Execute arbitrary code as current user

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A08:2025 - Software or Data Integrity Failures
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Search path verification
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires local delivery plus mandatory user interaction: the victim must open a malicious file in Adobe Bridge (version ≤16.0.5 on the 16.x branch or ≤15.1.6 on the 15.x branch), and the attacker must be positioned to place a malicious library in a directory that Bridge searches ahead of the trusted location (CWE-426 untrusted search path / library-load hijack). Limiting factors: no remote/network exploitation (AV:L), the attack fails without the social-engineering step of getting the victim to open the crafted file, and resulting code execution is confined to the current user's privilege level rather than SYSTEM/root. No active exploitation or public exploit code exists to lower the practical barrier.

Impact

The signals converge on moderate, not urgent, priority. The CVSS 3.1 base of 8.2 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H) is driven up by a scope change and full CIA impact, but every exploitation-likelihood signal is low: EPSS is 0.15% (5th percentile), CISA SSVC records Exploitation:none and Automatable:no (Technical Impact:total only reflects the code-exec payload, not likelihood), there is no CISA KEV listing, and no public proof-of-concept is referenced. This is therefore a high-severity-but-low-real-risk item - the CWE-426 untrusted search path class requires the attacker to first place a malicious library/file where the victim will trigger it and then socially engineer the victim into opening a crafted file, which is why the vector is AV:L/UI:R rather than a wormable network flaw. Two metric choices warrant scrutiny: Adobe's PR:L is questionable for a file-open exploit that needs no attacker-held privileges (PR:N is more defensible), and the S:C (scope changed) claim is atypical for untrusted-search-path code execution that runs squarely 'in the context of the current user' as the description states - verify scope with the vendor advisory. Net: patch on the normal cycle; not a drop-everything emergency absent any active-exploitation or POC signal.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker plants a malicious DLL/library alongside a Bridge-associated asset file (e.g., in a shared folder, archive, or download) and lures a creative-team user into opening that file with Adobe Bridge; Bridge resolves a dependency via an untrusted search path and loads the attacker's library, executing arbitrary code with the victim's privileges. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and SSVC records no known exploitation, so this remains a theoretical/targeted-social-engineering scenario rather than mass exploitation.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 16, 2026

Arbitrary code execution in Adobe Bridge 16.x (through 16.0.5) and 15.x (through 15.1.6) stems from an untrusted search path (CWE-426): when a victim opens a crafted file, Bridge resolves and loads a library from a location an attacker can control, executing code under the victim's own account. The vendor's CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H (8.2), while our independent assessment scores the same 8.2 band with PR:N and S:U, underscoring that the attack is strictly local, requires mandatory user interaction, and is bounded by the current user's privilege level rather than SYSTEM or root. Exploitation pressure is currently low: there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, the issue is not in CISA KEV, CISA's SSVC decision framework rates Exploitation 'none' and Automatable 'no', and EPSS is only 0.15% (5th percentile).

RemediationAI

Patch available per vendor advisory: Adobe security bulletin APSB26-89 (https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/bridge/apsb26-89.html) covers CVE-2026-48391, and users should update Bridge to a release above the affected bounds of 16.0.5 (16.x branch) and 15.1.6 (15.x branch) via Creative Cloud; the exact fixed build number is not confirmed in the provided input data, so verify the current version in the advisory before closing the item. Because exploitation requires the victim to open a crafted file, the most effective compensating controls are behavioral and configuration based: treat unsolicited Bridge-compatible files (PSD, AI, RAW, PDF) from untrusted sources as hostile and do not open them, and restrict write access so that non-administrative users cannot drop libraries into Bridge's installation directory, application directories, or any user-writable directory that precedes the trusted path in the loader's search order - the trade-off is that tightening ACLs on these folders can interfere with Bridge's cache, scratch-disk, and plugin directories, so scope the change to install and program paths rather than the user's working folders. On managed Windows fleets, enable an application-control or DLL-allowlisting policy (for example Windows Defender Application Control or a comparable loader-integrity policy) so that unsigned libraries cannot be loaded into Bridge; this will also block legitimate third-party plugins that are not signed, which is the primary operational cost. Note that the low EPSS (0.15%, 5th percentile), the 'none' exploitation rating in CISA's SSVC framework, and the absence of public exploit code make this a routine patch-cycle priority rather than an emergency, but the update should still be applied because the prerequisite is only local write access plus one user click.

Affected VersionsENISA

Adobe Bridge 0 ≤16.0.5
Adobe Bridge 0 ≤15.1.6

Affected Packages

euvd adobe_bridge no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path) is the root-cause class here: the application searches for a dependent library - a DLL on Windows or a dylib on macOS - using a path or search order that includes directories writable by a low-privileged local user (or by the attacker in the victim's environment). Because the malicious library is located ahead of the trusted one, it is loaded and its initialization code runs inside the Bridge process. Adobe Bridge is a digital asset management and file-browsing front end for Creative Cloud that parses many file types (PSD, AI, camera raw, PDF, and similar), which is why the load sequence is reachable only after the victim opens a malicious file. The vendor vector marks Scope as Changed (S:C), implying the vulnerable component's authority can be leveraged against other components, whereas our independent assessment uses S:U and rates privilege requirement as PR:N - the practical difference is whether a pre-existing foothold is required to plant the library. Either way, the disclosure's CPE records (cpe:2.3:a:adobe:adobe_bridge:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) confirm the affected surface is the Bridge product line itself, and the impact is code execution at the invoking user's privilege level, not elevation to administrator.

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Severity by source

Vendor (adobe) PRIMARY 8.2 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

Local file-open with required user interaction (AV:L/UI:R); attacker needs no privileges so PR:N over vendor's PR:L; code runs as current user with no scope change (S:U), full CIA at that level.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (adobe).

CVSS VectorVendor: adobe

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

Bridge is affected by an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. A low-privileged attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file. Scope is changed.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Adobe Bridge versions 16.0.5 and earlier and 15.1.6 and earlier are susceptible to arbitrary code execution when a user opens a crafted file. This local attack requires user interaction and runs with the victim's privileges, meaning affected workstations could be compromised without administrative access. While no public exploit has been identified and exploitation pressure is currently low, the lack of a vendor patch makes proactive risk reduction essential.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include user education to avoid untrusted files, application whitelisting to block unauthorized DLL execution, and restricting local user privileges to minimize code execution impact.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 95% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
Adobe Creative Cloud asset tool, common among creative professionals, not universal
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

41
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +41
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.

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