CVE-2024-47414: Adobe Animate Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2024-47414 Overview

CVE-2024-47414 is a Use After Free vulnerability [CWE-416] affecting Adobe Animate versions 23.0.7, 24.0.4, and earlier. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The flaw requires user interaction: a victim must open a malicious file crafted by the attacker. Adobe addressed the issue in security advisory APSB24-76.

Critical Impact
An attacker who convinces a user to open a crafted Animate project file can execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the logged-on user, potentially leading to full workstation compromise.

Affected Products

Adobe Animate 23.0.7 and earlier 23.x releases
Adobe Animate 24.0.4 and earlier 24.x releases
Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS installations of the affected Animate versions

Discovery Timeline

2024-10-09 - CVE-2024-47414 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-47414

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2024-47414 is a Use After Free condition in Adobe Animate's file parsing logic. Use After Free flaws occur when a program continues to reference memory after it has been released. An attacker can shape heap contents so the freed object is reallocated with attacker-controlled data before the stale pointer is dereferenced. When Animate then invokes a virtual function or callback through that pointer, control flow diverts to attacker code. The result is arbitrary code execution in the security context of the user running Animate.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper object lifetime management within Animate's handling of specific structures in project or asset files. A code path releases a heap-allocated object while another code path retains a reference to it. Subsequent access reads or writes freed memory, enabling type confusion or hijacked indirect calls. See the Adobe Security Advisory APSB24-76 for vendor-supplied technical context.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is local and requires user interaction. An attacker delivers a malicious Animate file through email, chat, a shared drive, or a compromised website. When the victim opens the file in a vulnerable Animate build, the parser triggers the Use After Free and executes attacker-supplied shellcode. No authentication is required, and the attacker gains the privileges of the current user. Because Animate is a desktop creative tool, exploited hosts often belong to designers, animators, or contractors with access to source assets and internal networks.

No public proof-of-concept or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported for CVE-2024-47414 at the time of this writing.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-47414

Indicators of Compromise

Adobe Animate (Animate.exe on Windows, Adobe Animate on macOS) spawning unexpected child processes such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, wscript.exe, or shell interpreters.
Animate process making outbound network connections to untrusted hosts shortly after a project file is opened.
Unexpected file writes by the Animate process to user profile, startup, or temp directories.
Crashes of Animate followed by dropped executables, DLLs, or persistence artifacts on disk.

Detection Strategies

Endpoint behavioral analytics that flag creative applications launching scripting engines or command interpreters.
File-based inspection of inbound .fla, .xfl, and related Animate project files sourced from email or external sharing platforms.
Correlation rules that link Animate process crashes with subsequent process creation or persistence events on the same host.

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest endpoint process, file, and network telemetry into a centralized data lake and alert on Animate child-process anomalies.
Track installed Animate versions across the fleet and flag hosts still running builds at or below 23.0.7 and 24.0.4.
Monitor mail and web gateways for delivery of Animate project files from external senders.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-47414

Immediate Actions Required

Inventory all endpoints running Adobe Animate and prioritize patching of versions 23.0.7, 24.0.4, and earlier.
Apply the updates referenced in Adobe Security Advisory APSB24-76.
Instruct users to avoid opening Animate files from untrusted or unverified sources until patches are deployed.
Restrict administrative rights on workstations so that a successful exploit inherits standard-user privileges only.

Patch Information

Adobe published fixes in advisory APSB24-76. Upgrade Adobe Animate 23.x to the latest 23 release beyond 23.0.7, and upgrade Adobe Animate 24.x to the latest 24 release beyond 24.0.4. Deploy updates through the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or enterprise deployment tooling. Full details are available in the Adobe Security Advisory APSB24-76.

Workarounds

Block or quarantine inbound Animate project files (.fla, .xfl) at email and web gateways when patching is delayed.
Enforce application allowlisting to prevent Animate from launching scripting engines or unsigned binaries.
Isolate hosts used for opening third-party creative assets from sensitive network segments until updates are applied.

bash

# Example: query installed Adobe Animate version on Windows
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Animate" /s /v Version

# Example: query installed Adobe Animate version on macOS
defaults read "/Applications/Adobe Animate 2024/Adobe Animate 2024.app/Contents/Info.plist" CFBundleShortVersionString