CVE-2024-52985 Overview
CVE-2024-52985 is an integer underflow vulnerability [CWE-191] affecting Adobe Animate versions 23.0.8, 24.0.5 and earlier. Attackers can exploit this flaw to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Successful exploitation requires the victim to open a crafted malicious file in Adobe Animate. The vulnerability affects installations on both Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS platforms. Adobe published the corresponding security advisory as APSB24-96.
Critical Impact
Opening a malicious Animate project file can trigger arbitrary code execution under the current user's privileges, enabling malware deployment and further compromise.
Affected Products
- Adobe Animate 23.0.8 and earlier
- Adobe Animate 24.0.5 and earlier
- Adobe Animate on Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-12-10 - CVE-2024-52985 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-52985
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2024-52985 is an Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound) weakness classified under [CWE-191]. The flaw resides in Adobe Animate's file parsing logic, where an arithmetic operation on an untrusted size or index value underflows below zero. The resulting wraparound produces a very large unsigned value that bypasses subsequent bounds checks. When this corrupted value drives memory allocation, indexing, or copy operations, attackers can corrupt process memory. Controlled memory corruption in a client-side desktop application typically enables hijacking of the instruction pointer and execution of attacker-supplied shellcode.
Root Cause
The underlying defect is missing validation on values used in arithmetic before they are consumed as sizes or offsets. Adobe Animate performs a subtraction on data sourced from a malformed project file without ensuring the minuend is greater than or equal to the subtrahend. This produces an underflowed integer that is then used in downstream memory operations, corrupting the heap or adjacent structures.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local user interaction. An attacker delivers a malicious Animate file, typically an .fla, .xfl, or related asset, through phishing email, drive-by download, or shared collaboration channels. When the victim opens the file in Adobe Animate, the underflow triggers during parsing. Code executes with the privileges of the current user, allowing credential theft, persistence installation, or lateral movement staging. No network access or authentication to the target is required.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-52985
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected child processes spawned from Animate.exe or the macOS Animate binary, particularly cmd.exe, powershell.exe, bash, or osascript.
- Adobe Animate crashes or Windows Error Reporting entries referencing access violations during file open operations.
- Inbound .fla, .xfl, or .zip archives containing Animate project assets originating from untrusted email or web sources.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor endpoint telemetry for process lineage where Adobe Animate spawns interpreters, script hosts, or LOLBins.
- Alert on file writes by Animate.exe outside expected project directories, especially into %APPDATA%, %TEMP%, or startup locations.
- Correlate Animate crash events with subsequent suspicious process or network activity on the same host.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable command-line and process-creation logging on workstations running Adobe Animate.
- Ingest endpoint process, file, and network telemetry into a central data lake for retrospective hunting once new indicators emerge.
- Track outbound connections from Adobe Animate processes; the application should not normally initiate arbitrary network activity to unknown hosts.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-52985
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Adobe Animate to the fixed versions listed in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB24-96.
- Inventory all endpoints running Adobe Animate 23.x or 24.x and prioritize patch deployment to designers, animators, and shared workstations.
- Instruct users to open Animate project files only from trusted internal sources until patching completes.
Patch Information
Adobe released fixed builds addressing CVE-2024-52985 as documented in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB24-96. Apply the vendor-supplied updates through the Creative Cloud desktop application or enterprise deployment tooling. Verify version strings post-update to confirm remediation.
Workarounds
- Block inbound .fla and .xfl attachments at the email gateway when business workflows permit.
- Restrict Adobe Animate execution to standard user accounts to limit blast radius from successful exploitation.
- Use application allowlisting to prevent Adobe Animate from launching child interpreters such as powershell.exe, cmd.exe, or wscript.exe.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
