CVE-2021-28601 is a vulnerability identified in Adobe After Effects, specifically affecting version 18.2 and earlier. The issue is a NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476) that occurs when the software parses a specially crafted file. This vulnerability can be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker who convinces a user to open a malicious file within After Effects. The exploitation leads to an application denial-of-service (DoS) condition by causing the program to crash or become unresponsive. Since the attack requires user interaction—specifically, the victim must open the malicious file—the attack vector is limited to social engineering or targeted delivery of malicious project or media files. The vulnerability impacts the availability of the After Effects application in the context of the current user but does not directly compromise confidentiality or integrity of data. There are no known exploits in the wild, and no official patches or updates are linked in the provided information, although Adobe typically addresses such issues in subsequent releases. The vulnerability is classified as medium severity, reflecting the limited scope and impact of the attack, as well as the requirement for user interaction.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2021-28601 is the potential disruption of workflows that rely on Adobe After Effects, a widely used digital visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing application. Organizations in creative industries such as advertising, film production, media, and digital content creation could experience productivity losses due to application crashes caused by malicious files. While the vulnerability does not lead to data breaches or privilege escalation, denial-of-service conditions can delay project timelines and increase operational costs. Additionally, if exploited in targeted attacks, it could be used as a vector to distract or disrupt teams during critical periods. However, the impact is limited to the user context and does not affect system-wide availability or other applications. Given that Adobe After Effects is a specialized tool, the overall risk to organizations outside creative sectors is minimal. The lack of known exploits reduces the immediate threat level, but organizations should remain vigilant due to the potential for social engineering attacks leveraging this vulnerability.

To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2021-28601, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Ensure that Adobe After Effects is updated to the latest available version, as Adobe typically releases patches addressing such vulnerabilities; if no patch is currently available, monitor Adobe security advisories closely. 2) Educate users, especially creative teams, about the risks of opening files from untrusted or unknown sources, emphasizing the importance of verifying file origins before opening. 3) Implement application whitelisting and sandboxing techniques for Adobe After Effects to limit the impact of crashes and prevent potential escalation. 4) Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor for abnormal application behavior or crashes that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5) Employ network-level controls to filter and scan incoming files for malicious content before delivery to end users. 6) Maintain regular backups of project files and system states to enable quick recovery from disruptions caused by denial-of-service conditions. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on user education, application control, and proactive monitoring tailored to the nature of this vulnerability.