CVE-2022-23199 is a vulnerability identified in Adobe Illustrator versions 25.4.3 and earlier, as well as 26.0.2 and earlier. The flaw is a Null Pointer Dereference (CWE-476), which occurs when the application attempts to access or manipulate a memory location through a pointer that has not been initialized or is set to null. This leads to an application crash, resulting in a denial-of-service (DoS) condition within the context of the current user. The vulnerability can be triggered by an unauthenticated attacker by crafting a malicious Illustrator file that, when opened by the victim, causes the application to dereference a null pointer and crash. Exploitation requires user interaction, specifically the victim opening the malicious file, which limits the attack vector to scenarios where the attacker can deliver such a file and convince the user to open it. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of reporting, and no official patches or updates have been linked in the provided data. The vulnerability impacts the availability of the Adobe Illustrator application for the user, potentially disrupting workflows that rely on this software. Since the attack does not require authentication but does require user action, it is a medium-severity issue primarily affecting availability rather than confidentiality or integrity.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-23199 primarily involves disruption of graphic design and creative workflows that depend on Adobe Illustrator. Organizations in sectors such as advertising, media, publishing, and design agencies could experience productivity losses if Illustrator crashes unexpectedly due to malicious files. While the vulnerability does not allow for privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or code execution, repeated denial-of-service conditions could lead to operational delays and increased support costs. Additionally, if attackers use social engineering to distribute malicious files, there is a risk of reputational damage or internal mistrust of digital assets. The impact is more pronounced in organizations with high reliance on Adobe Illustrator and where users may be less aware of the risks of opening untrusted files. Since the vulnerability affects the application at the user level, critical infrastructure or highly sensitive environments are less likely to be directly compromised, but the disruption could still affect business continuity in creative departments.

To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2022-23199, European organizations should implement several targeted measures beyond generic advice: 1) Enforce strict email and file attachment filtering policies to detect and quarantine suspicious or unsolicited Illustrator files, reducing the likelihood of malicious file delivery. 2) Educate users, especially those in creative roles, about the risks of opening files from untrusted sources and encourage verification of file origins before opening. 3) Utilize application whitelisting or sandboxing techniques to isolate Illustrator processes, limiting the impact of crashes and preventing potential escalation if other vulnerabilities are chained. 4) Monitor application crash logs and user reports to quickly identify potential exploitation attempts or unusual patterns of Illustrator failures. 5) Maintain up-to-date backups of critical design files to minimize disruption from application crashes. 6) Regularly check Adobe’s security advisories for patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. 7) Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions that can detect anomalous behaviors associated with file-based attacks targeting Illustrator. These steps collectively reduce the attack surface, improve detection, and limit operational impact.