CVE-2021-42724 is a memory corruption vulnerability classified under CWE-788 (Access of Memory Location After End of Buffer) affecting Adobe Bridge versions 11.1.1 and earlier. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of maliciously crafted files by Adobe Bridge, which leads to an out-of-bounds memory access. This memory corruption can potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as opening or previewing a malicious file within Adobe Bridge. Since Adobe Bridge is a digital asset management application widely used by creative professionals for organizing and previewing multimedia files, the vulnerability could be triggered when a user interacts with a specially crafted file. No public exploits are known to be in the wild as of the published date, and no official patch links are provided in the source information. The vulnerability was reserved in October 2021 and publicly disclosed in March 2022. The lack of a CVSS score necessitates an independent severity assessment based on the impact and exploitation conditions. The vulnerability affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a medium degree, given that arbitrary code execution could lead to data compromise or system instability but requires user interaction and does not escalate privileges by itself.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2021-42724 depends largely on the extent of Adobe Bridge usage within their environments. Organizations in creative industries such as advertising, media, publishing, and design, which rely heavily on Adobe Bridge for asset management, are at higher risk. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized code execution, potentially resulting in data theft, unauthorized access to sensitive creative assets, or disruption of workflows. Since the vulnerability executes code with the privileges of the current user, the impact is limited if users operate with least privilege; however, if users have elevated rights, the consequences could be more severe. The requirement for user interaction reduces the likelihood of widespread automated exploitation but does not eliminate targeted attacks, especially spear-phishing campaigns delivering malicious files. Additionally, compromised systems could serve as footholds for lateral movement within corporate networks. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests limited immediate threat but does not preclude future exploitation attempts. Overall, the vulnerability poses a moderate risk to confidentiality and integrity of digital assets and could disrupt availability if exploited to cause application or system crashes.

1. Immediate mitigation should include updating Adobe Bridge to the latest available version beyond 11.1.1, as Adobe typically addresses such vulnerabilities in subsequent patches. If no patch is available, organizations should implement temporary controls such as disabling Adobe Bridge where feasible or restricting its use to trusted files only. 2. Implement strict file handling policies, including scanning all files with advanced malware detection before opening in Adobe Bridge. 3. Educate users, especially those in creative departments, about the risks of opening files from untrusted sources and the importance of verifying file origins. 4. Employ application whitelisting and sandboxing techniques to limit the execution context of Adobe Bridge, reducing the impact of potential code execution. 5. Monitor endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems for unusual behaviors associated with Adobe Bridge processes, such as unexpected network connections or process spawning. 6. Enforce the principle of least privilege for user accounts to minimize the potential damage from exploitation. 7. Regularly review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities in user-facing applications.