CVE-2024-52987: Adobe Animate RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-52987 Overview

CVE-2024-52987 is an integer underflow vulnerability [CWE-191] affecting Adobe Animate versions 23.0.8, 24.0.5, and earlier. The flaw enables arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when a victim opens a maliciously crafted file. Exploitation requires user interaction, limiting mass exploitation but making the vulnerability suitable for targeted phishing and social engineering campaigns. Adobe published fixes in security bulletin APSB24-96 for supported Windows and macOS installations.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants attackers arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the logged-in user, enabling full compromise of the affected workstation.

Affected Products

Adobe Animate 23.0.8 and earlier
Adobe Animate 24.0.5 and earlier
Deployments on Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows

Discovery Timeline

2024-12-10 - CVE-2024-52987 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-52987

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2024-52987 is an integer underflow condition, categorized as CWE-191 (Integer Underflow / Wrap or Wraparound). The flaw resides in Adobe Animate's file parsing logic, where an arithmetic operation on an unsigned integer wraps below zero and produces an unexpectedly large value. Downstream code then trusts this value for memory allocation, buffer sizing, or loop bounds, leading to memory corruption.

Attackers can weaponize this condition to overwrite adjacent structures, control execution flow, and ultimately execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Because Animate is commonly used by content creators with broad file access, a compromised session provides a productive foothold for lateral movement or credential theft.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing validation of size or offset fields parsed from an attacker-controlled file. When those fields underflow during arithmetic operations, the resulting value bypasses subsequent bounds checks and corrupts process memory.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local and requires user interaction. An attacker delivers a crafted Animate project or asset file through phishing, a shared drive, or a compromised download source. Opening the file inside Adobe Animate triggers the vulnerable parser and executes the embedded payload.

No public proof-of-concept exploit or exploitation-in-the-wild reporting is available for CVE-2024-52987 at the time of writing. Refer to the Adobe Security Advisory APSB24-96 for vendor-supplied technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-52987

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by Animate.exe or Adobe Animate on macOS, particularly command shells, scripting engines, or rundll32.exe.
Adobe Animate reading files from unusual paths such as email attachment directories, temporary download folders, or removable media.
Crash artifacts, Watson reports, or CrashReporter entries referencing Animate immediately followed by outbound network activity.

Detection Strategies

Deploy behavioral endpoint detection rules that flag Adobe Animate spawning interpreters (powershell.exe, cmd.exe, wscript.exe, bash, osascript) or performing process injection.
Alert on Animate processes making outbound network connections to non-Adobe destinations shortly after opening a file.
Monitor for creation of executables or persistence entries in user-writable locations by the Animate process tree.

Monitoring Recommendations

Collect and centralize process-creation telemetry (Sysmon event ID 1, macOS ES_EVENT_TYPE_NOTIFY_EXEC) with parent process context.
Ingest email gateway logs and file-share access logs to correlate delivery of .fla, .xfl, or associated Animate asset files with subsequent endpoint activity.
Track installed Animate versions via software inventory and alert when hosts remain on 23.0.8, 24.0.5, or earlier.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-52987

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe Animate to the fixed versions listed in Adobe Security Advisory APSB24-96 on all Windows and macOS endpoints.
Inventory workstations running Adobe Animate and prioritize systems used by content, marketing, and design teams that regularly open external files.
Reinforce user awareness training to warn against opening Animate project files from untrusted email attachments or download sources.

Patch Information

Adobe released patched builds of Animate 2023 and Animate 2024 in security bulletin APSB24-96. Administrators should distribute the update through Adobe Creative Cloud or the Adobe Admin Console. See the Adobe Security Advisory APSB24-96 for exact fixed version numbers and download instructions.

Workarounds

Restrict opening of Adobe Animate files (.fla, .xfl) to trusted, internally produced content until patches are deployed.
Enforce least-privilege user accounts so that a compromised Animate session cannot install services or modify system-wide configuration.
Use application allowlisting to prevent Adobe Animate from launching scripting hosts and command interpreters as child processes.

bash

# Configuration example: enumerate installed Adobe Animate versions on Windows endpoints
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" |
  Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Adobe Animate*" } |
  Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation