CVE-2022-23188 - Exploiting Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in Adobe Illustrator (Simple Guide, Code Snippets & Exploit Details)

CVE-2022-23188 is a buffer overflow vulnerability found in Adobe Illustrator. This flaw affects versions 25.4.3 and earlier, and also 26..2 and earlier, on both Windows and macOS. If a hacker tricks a user into opening a specially crafted malicious file in Illustrator, an attack can lead to running arbitrary code on the victim's computer—essentially, hackers can run whatever they want, up to the same permissions as the user running Illustrator.

This post explains in simple English what this vulnerability is, how it can be exploited, and includes exclusive code and links to original sources. If you’re a security researcher, student, or illustrator user, read on—this will help you understand the risk and stay safe.

What is a Buffer Overflow?

A buffer overflow happens when a program stores more data in a memory "buffer" than it was designed to hold. If a hacker can make Illustrator load a file that’s longer than what the program expects, the extra data can overwrite other parts of memory—including instructions on what to do next. That can let an attacker run code of their choice.

Adobe Illustrator 26..2 and earlier

If you are using these versions, your machine is at risk whenever you open files from unknown or untrusted sources.

Exploit Scenario: How the Attack Works

The attacker creates a malicious .ai or supported vector file with specially crafted data. When a user opens this malicious file in Illustrator, the buffer overflows—potentially allowing malicious code to run on the victim's machine.

Proof-of-Concept (PoC): Sample Malicious Illustrator File

Let’s simplify how such an exploit would look using a fake Illustrator file structure. The real exploit is much more complex, but here’s an idea in pseudocode and Python.

Say Illustrator expects a string in the file to be 256 bytes max

char data[256];
fread(data, 1, 256, fp); // Assume fp points to the file being opened

But no checks are done! If the "data" part of the file is longer than 256 bytes, bad things happen.

Step 2: Craft a Malicious File (Python Example)

Here’s Python code that creates a fake AI file with an overlong data section, filled with executable code (NOPs and a fake shellcode):

# This demonstrates the principle; it won’t exploit real Illustrator!
with open("malicious.ai", "wb") as f:
    header = b"ILLUSTRATOR"  # Fake header for demonstration
    nop_sled = b"\x90" * 300 # Overflow buffer; NOP sled
    fake_shellcode = b"\xcc" * 32 # INT3 breakpoint instructions as placeholder
  
    f.write(header)
    f.write(nop_sled)
    f.write(fake_shellcode)

Note: Real-world exploits require knowledge of Illustrator’s binary file structure, stack address, and may include Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) chains.

The hacker could install backdoors for future access.

Worse, if companies share Illustrator files, one employee getting phished could put others at risk.

Adobe patched this in later versions:

Adobe Security Bulletin APSB22-07

Patched: February 2022

- Adobe Advisory: APSB22-07
- NIST NVD entry: CVE-2022-23188
- MITRE: CVE page

Timeline

Published on: 02/16/2022 17:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 02/24/2022 03:13:00 UTC