CVE-2026-21268
Adobe Dreamweaver ≤ 21.7
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-21268 is a high-severity Improper Input Validation (CWE-20) vulnerability in Adobe Dreamweaver. Its CVSS base score is 8.6 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 13th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-21268 is an Improper Input Validation vulnerability (CWE-20) affecting Adobe Dreamweaver Desktop versions 21.6 and earlier. The flaw allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when a victim opens a malicious file, with a changed scope noted in the description. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high severity due to its potential for complete system compromise upon successful exploitation.
Attackers with local access can exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious file and tricking a user into opening it within Dreamweaver, as no privileges are required (PR:N) and complexity is low (AC:L), though user interaction is necessary (UI:R). Successful exploitation grants arbitrary code execution with elevated scope (S:C), enabling high-impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability violations (C:H/I:H/A:H) in the user's context.
Adobe's security bulletin APSB26-01, available at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dreamweaver/apsb26-01.html, provides details on mitigation, including recommendations for applying patches to affected Dreamweaver versions. Security practitioners should prioritize updating to patched releases and advise users to avoid opening untrusted files.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-2052
Vulnerability Data
Dreamweaver Desktop versions 21.6 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must…
more
open a malicious file and scope is changed.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 6 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover missing input validation through analysis or test cases.
SI-10 directly requires validity checks on information inputs, structurally preventing improper or missing validation.
Requiring documented development standards and tools can embed input-validation practices into the engineering process.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly require and enforce input validation during development.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Testing against a defined set of requirements and using code review plus vulnerability scanning forces validation of inputs and handling of unanticipated conditions, reducing the chance that malformed data will be accepted.
Secure-coding guidelines and mandatory security testing (including code scans) compel developers to validate and sanitize inputs at design and implementation time, lowering the incidence of malformed or malicious data reaching downstream components.
Mandating input controls that include integrity checks and input validation ensures that untrusted data is examined before use, blocking the root cause of many injection and malformed-data weaknesses.
Security-by-design principles explicitly call for data validation and sanitization at every layer, reducing the chance that malformed or malicious input will be processed without scrutiny.
Requiring language-specific secure coding standards, peer review, SAST and documented mitigation of common programming errors forces validation of all inputs before they are trusted.
Regular automated validation of system software and data content, combined with scanning of all inbound files, enforces input validation at the boundary before untrusted content is processed.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-230265 RHEL 8 must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components of local packages without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. prevents CWE-20