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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-21280: Adobe Illustrator Desktop 2026 · Untrusted Search Path

Affects Adobe Illustrator Desktop 2026Source CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.6 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
8.6High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 17% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 13 Jan 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
AdobeIllustrator Desktop 2026Affected
  • <=30.0
Fixed in–
AdobeIllustrator Desktop 2025Affected
  • <=29.8.3
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

  1. Apply official patches from Adobe as soon as they become available to address the vulnerability directly.
  2. Until patches are released, restrict write permissions on directories included in Illustrator's search path to prevent attackers from placing malicious executables.
  3. Implement application whitelisting to ensure only trusted executables can run within the environment.
  4. Educate users to avoid opening files from untrusted or unknown sources, especially unsolicited attachments or downloads.
  5. Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious process executions or modifications in Illustrator's working directories.
  6. Employ network segmentation to limit the impact of a compromised workstation.
  7. Regularly audit and harden the environment to remove unnecessary privileges from users running Illustrator.
  8. Monitor threat intelligence feeds for any emerging exploits targeting this vulnerability to enable rapid response.
  9. Consider deploying sandboxing or containerization for Illustrator to isolate its execution environment.
  10. Review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving exploitation of this vulnerability.

Description

Illustrator versions 29.8.3, 30.0 and earlier are affected by an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. If the application uses a search path to locate critical resources such as programs, an attacker could modify that search path to point to a malicious program, which the targeted application would then execute. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file and scope is changed.

References

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