CVE-2021-21069

Local privilege escalation via helper client validation

Published Mar 12, 2021 · Updated Apr 23, 2025

Improper input validation in Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop 5.3 and earlier allows local users to escalate privileges via the installer. The privileged helper tool fails to validate its clients, allowing a low-privileged process to invoke installer functions and execute arbitrary code as root. Exploitation requires prior ability to run code locally but no user interaction, and can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability2.47%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper input validation in Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop 5.3 and earlier allows local users to escalate privileges via the installer. The privileged helper tool fails to validate its clients, allowing a low-privileged process to invoke installer functions and execute arbitrary code as root. Exploitation requires prior ability to run code locally but no user interaction, and can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-21069
Published
Mar 12, 2021
Updated
Apr 23, 2025
Vendor
Adobe
Product
Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop
Classifications
CWE-20, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 12, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 23, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <=5.3.1.470a
  2. Affected versionversion=unspecified <=None

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Adobe · Adobe Creative Cloud Desktopversion=unspecified <=5.3.1.470a; version=unspecified <=None

Published CVSS scores

7.8Adobe Systems IncorporatedCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
9.3NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-20Improper Input Validation
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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