CVE-2021-40762 is a vulnerability identified in Adobe Character Animator (Preview 4), specifically version 4.4 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 triggered by an unauthenticated attacker who convinces a user to open a maliciously crafted file within the affected application. The null pointer dereference leads to an application crash, resulting in a denial-of-service (DoS) condition within the context of the current user. Since the vulnerability requires user interaction—specifically, the victim must open the malicious file—exploitation is not fully automatic and depends on social engineering or tricking the user into opening the file. There is no indication of privilege escalation or remote code execution capabilities from this vulnerability. Additionally, no known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no official patches or updates have been linked in the provided information. The vulnerability affects the availability of the Adobe Character Animator application for the user, potentially disrupting workflows that rely on this software. The issue does not impact confidentiality or integrity directly but can cause interruptions in productivity due to application crashes.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2021-40762 is primarily operational, affecting availability rather than confidentiality or integrity. Organizations that use Adobe Character Animator in creative, marketing, or media production workflows may experience disruptions if users open malicious files exploiting this vulnerability. This could lead to temporary loss of access to the application, delaying project timelines and reducing productivity. Since the vulnerability requires user interaction, the risk is somewhat mitigated by user awareness and training. However, targeted phishing or social engineering campaigns could increase the likelihood of exploitation. The vulnerability does not allow for privilege escalation or data exfiltration, so the impact on sensitive data or system integrity is minimal. Nonetheless, repeated denial-of-service conditions could frustrate users and increase support costs. In environments where Adobe Character Animator is critical for real-time content creation or live animation, such disruptions could have more pronounced operational consequences.

To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2021-40762, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Restrict the opening of Adobe Character Animator project files (.chproj or related formats) from untrusted or unknown sources by enforcing strict file handling policies. 2) Educate users, especially those in creative departments, about the risks of opening files from unverified origins and train them to recognize phishing or social engineering attempts. 3) Implement application whitelisting or sandboxing techniques to limit the impact of application crashes and prevent malicious files from affecting other system components. 4) Monitor and log application crashes related to Adobe Character Animator to detect potential exploitation attempts early. 5) Maintain up-to-date backups of critical project files to minimize disruption in case of application failure. 6) Engage with Adobe support channels to obtain any available patches or updates and apply them promptly once released. 7) Consider network-level controls to block delivery of malicious files via email or file-sharing platforms by scanning for suspicious file signatures or metadata associated with Adobe Character Animator projects.