CVE-2026-21288

Application crash via malicious file dereference

Published Jan 13, 2026 · Updated Jan 13, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in Adobe Illustrator versions 29.8.3, 30.0 and earlier allows attackers to crash the application via a malicious file. Adobe has not published the affected parser or the invalid operation that produces the null pointer before dereference. A victim must open the file; successful exploitation interrupts only the Illustrator application, with no reported data disclosure or modification.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.21%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in Adobe Illustrator versions 29.8.3, 30.0 and earlier allows attackers to crash the application via a malicious file. Adobe has not published the affected parser or the invalid operation that produces the null pointer before dereference. A victim must open the file; successful exploitation interrupts only the Illustrator application, with no reported data disclosure or modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-21288
Published
Jan 13, 2026
Updated
Jan 13, 2026
Vendor
Adobe
Product
Illustrator
Classifications
CWE-476, T1204.002
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 13, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jan 13, 2026Record 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=0 <=30.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Adobe · Illustratorversion=0 <=30.0

Published CVSS scores

5.5AdobeCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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.

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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
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1204.002Malicious File

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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