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Full vulnerability report · 2018
CVE-2018-4991High confidence

Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application versions 4.4.1.298 and earlier have an exploitable Improper certificate validation vulnerability

Unknown · Creative Cloud Desktop Application 4.4.1.298 and earlier versions

Official source article: Adobe APSB18-12 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.

9.8CriticalCVSS 3.0
Recommended action
Within 72 hours

Critical technical impact with a remotely reachable, unauthenticated path; no CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.

Mitigation available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityCriticalOperational priority:Critical, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
  • EPSS is 3.96% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Apply the linked authoritative mitigation while planning the permanent fix.
  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Unknown Creative Cloud Desktop Application 4.4.1.298 and earlier versions and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 3 daysRemediation target: Within 90 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2018-16776

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 72 hours

Critical technical impact with a remotely reachable, unauthenticated path; no CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.

Mitigation available
01

What, why and how

Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application versions 4.4.1.298 and earlier have an exploitable Improper certificate validation vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to a security bypass.

What

Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application versions 4.4.1.298 and earlier have an exploitable Improper certificate validation vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to a security bypass.

Why

The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Application versions 4.4.1.298 and earlier have an exploitable Improper certificate validation vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to a security bypass.

Why

The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Improper Certificate Validation → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-295 ↗

CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation. The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.0: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkUnauthenticatedCWE-295
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · English · AV18-076Adobe security bulletins

Adobe has released security updates for Creative Cloud Desktop Application, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Connect. Affected products: Creative Cloud Desktop Application - version 4.4.1.298 and earlier Adobe Flash Player - version 29.0.0.140 and earlier Adobe Connect - version 9.7.5 and earlier CVE References: CVE-2018-4992, CVE-2018-4991, CVE-2018-4873, CVE-2018-4944, CVE-2018-4994

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2018-005289Adobe Creative Cloud デスクトップアプリケーションにおける証明書検証に関する脆弱性

Adobe Creative Cloud デスクトップアプリケーションには、証明書検証に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-4869Adobe 제품군 보안 업데이트 권고

Adobe Creative Cloud에서 발생하는 권한 상승(CVE-2018-4992) 및 부적절한 입력값 검증 취약점(CVE-2018-4991)을 해결한 보안 업데이트를 발표[3]

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Mitigation available
Affected
Creative Cloud Desktop Application 4.4.1.298 and earlier versions: Creative Cloud Desktop Application 4.4.1.298 and earlier versions
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
o Adobe Flash Player 사용자 - 윈도우즈, 맥, 리눅스, 크롬OS 사용자는 해당하는 소프트웨어에 따라 최신 버전으로 업데이트 적용 o Adobe Connect 사용자 - Adobe Connect 사용자는 Connect 페이지( https://helpx.adobe.com/adobe-connect/kb/update-for-adobe-connect-now-available-includes-latest-security-.html )의 대응 방안에 따라 설정값 적용 ※ 추후 보안업데이트 발표 시 재공지 o Adobe Creative Cloud 사용자 - Adobe Creative Cloud 업데이트를 통해 자동으로 설치 또는 Creative-Cloud 페이지(https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/desktop-app.html)에서 업데이트 설치
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 19 May 2018 · Last source change 5 Aug 2024, 05:18 UTC · CWE-295 · Improper Certificate Validation

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-01
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-16776
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2018-16776 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2018-16776"}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  2. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added vendor advisory: helpx.adobe.com/apsb18-12.html.
    Before
    no authoritative guidance recorded
    After
    vendor advisory: helpx.adobe.com/apsb18-12.html
    helpx.adobe.com ↗
  3. SeveritySeverity changed from Unknown to Critical.
    Before
    Unknown
    After
    Critical
    NIST NVD ↗
  4. CVSS scoreCVSS score changed from not recorded to 9.8 (CVSS 3.0 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    9.8 (CVSS 3.0 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    NIST NVD ↗
  5. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
  6. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Mitigation available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Mitigation available
    KISA KrCERT/CC ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Remediation guidance recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-16776↗KISA KrCERT/CC remediation guidance↗Vendor advisory · Adobe APSB18-12↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2018-4991 · cve.blacktree.nl