Illustrator <30.0 Untrusted Search Path => code exec
CVE-2026-21280 Published on January 13, 2026
Illustrator | Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426)
Illustrator versions 29.8.3, 30.0 and earlier are affected by an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. If the application uses a search path to locate critical resources such as programs, an attacker could modify that search path to point to a malicious program, which the targeted application would then execute. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file and scope is changed.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-21280 is exploitable with local system access, requires user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be very high.
Weakness Type
What is an Untrusted Path Vulnerability?
The application searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the application's direct control.
CVE-2026-21280 has been classified to as an Untrusted Path vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-21280
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Affected Versions
Adobe Illustrator:- Before and including 30.0 is affected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.