CVE-2026-75658: Bridge Out-of-Bounds Write RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-75658 Overview

CVE-2026-75658 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability [CWE-787] in Adobe Bridge. The flaw allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction: the victim must open a malicious file crafted by the attacker.

Adobe published the corresponding advisory as APSB26-148. The vulnerability carries a local attack vector with low complexity and no privilege requirements. Successful exploitation compromises confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

Critical Impact

An attacker who tricks a user into opening a malicious file can execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user, enabling full compromise of user data and installed applications.

Affected Products

• Adobe Bridge (see Adobe Security Advisory APSB26-148 for affected version ranges)
• Windows installations of Adobe Bridge
• macOS installations of Adobe Bridge

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-09-22 - CVE-2026-75658 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2026-09-23 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-75658

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-75658 is an out-of-bounds write flaw in Adobe Bridge, Adobe's digital asset management application. The vulnerability falls under [CWE-787], where the application writes data past the end or before the beginning of an allocated buffer. Attackers who control the out-of-bounds write can corrupt adjacent memory structures such as function pointers, virtual tables, or heap metadata. Chained with reliable memory layout primitives, this corruption yields arbitrary code execution inside the Bridge process.

The attack vector is local and requires user interaction, meaning the victim must open a malicious file inside Bridge. Code execution occurs with the privileges of the currently logged-in user, so exploitation on a workstation with administrative rights extends impact system-wide.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient bounds validation when Bridge parses attacker-controlled file content. When the application processes a malformed field, the write operation exceeds the destination buffer boundary. This condition maps directly to CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write. Adobe has not disclosed the specific file format or parser component affected.

Attack Vector

An attacker crafts a malicious file that triggers the parsing flaw when opened by Adobe Bridge. Typical delivery paths include phishing emails with attached asset files, malicious downloads from compromised creative-asset repositories, and links delivered through collaboration platforms used by design teams. Once the victim opens the file in Bridge, the parser writes beyond the allocated buffer and the process control flow is redirected to attacker-supplied shellcode or return-oriented programming gadgets.

No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available. See the Adobe Security Advisory APSB26-148 for vendor-provided technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-75658

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected child processes spawned by Bridge.exe such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or rundll32.exe
• Crash reports or Windows Error Reporting entries referencing Adobe Bridge modules with access violations
• Adobe Bridge process making outbound network connections to unfamiliar hosts shortly after opening an asset file
• New persistence entries or scheduled tasks created immediately after Bridge parses a document from an external source

Detection Strategies

• Monitor process lineage where Adobe Bridge is the parent of a scripting or living-off-the-land binary
• Alert on file writes by Bridge to autostart locations, Startup folders, or HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
• Correlate Bridge crashes with subsequent execution of unsigned binaries in the same user session
• Inspect inbound email attachments and downloaded files with Bridge-supported extensions for anomalies before user access

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable command-line and process-creation logging (Windows Event ID 4688 with command line, or Sysmon Event ID 1) on endpoints running Adobe Bridge
• Forward endpoint telemetry to a centralized data lake for correlation across users and workstations
• Track version inventory of Adobe Bridge installations to confirm patch deployment coverage

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-75658

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the security update referenced in Adobe Security Advisory APSB26-148 to all Adobe Bridge installations
• Instruct users to avoid opening asset files from untrusted or unverified sources until patching completes
• Verify Adobe Bridge version across the fleet and prioritize remediation on workstations used by creative and marketing teams
• Review recent email gateways and file-sharing platforms for suspicious files targeting Bridge users

Patch Information

Adobe released fixed versions of Bridge alongside advisory APSB26-148. Refer to the Adobe Security Advisory APSB26-148 for the exact fixed version numbers, platform-specific installers, and update instructions. Deploy the patched build through Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop or your enterprise software distribution tooling.

Workarounds

• Restrict use of Adobe Bridge to trusted asset repositories until the patch is applied
• Enforce application allowlisting to block execution of unsigned child processes spawned by Bridge.exe
• Apply least privilege by ensuring users do not run Bridge from accounts with administrative rights
• Use email and web gateway filtering to strip or sandbox Bridge-associated file types from external senders

# Verify installed Adobe Bridge version on Windows endpoints
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" |
  Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Adobe Bridge*" } |
  Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation