A critical vulnerability in Adobe Illustrator could’ve let attackers slip malicious code into your project files—and Adobe just rolled out a patch before things got messy.

If you’ve got Creative Cloud running, this is one of those updates you don’t want to ignore.

Quiet exploits like this often hit before anyone notices.

Discovered by cybersecurity researchers and confirmed in Adobe’s May 2025 security bulletin, the flaw—tracked as CVE-2024-20767—was a code execution vulnerability rated critical.

That means hackers could craft a file that, when opened in Illustrator, would execute code behind the scenes without you realizing.

No scary popups, no “do you want to allow access” warnings—just clean entry. It affected both Windows and macOS platforms, making it cross-platform and especially risky for teams who pass around .AI files daily.

The issue boiled down to how Illustrator parsed project files. Adobe confirmed it involved “improper input validation,” which is cybersecurity-speak for: the app trusted something it shouldn’t.

That’s often how malware sneaks in—disguised as something normal until it’s too late.

If you’ve used Illustrator 2023 or newer, you’re in the risk window. Adobe pushed the patch in version 28.4 (for Illustrator 2024) and 27.9 (for Illustrator 2023), so update those via Creative Cloud now.

The fix is already live, no extra downloads or workarounds needed.

This isn’t just an Illustrator story.

It’s a reminder that even top-tier creative tools can be backdoors if left unpatched.

Adobe’s suite runs deep in creative studios, marketing teams, and freelance workflows—meaning vulnerabilities like this could ripple far if abused.

And while this one’s handled (for now), it’s not the only critical vulnerability Adobe patched this cycle.

Photoshop, FrameMaker, and Adobe Animate also got updates targeting code execution and memory flaws, so even if you’re not a heavy Illustrator user, it’s worth checking your full stack.

The bottom line is creative tools aren’t immune to the same risks hitting enterprise software.

If you’re working with client assets, collaborative files, or just don’t want to be the one who accidentally opens the poisoned file, patch now.

This one's quiet, but it could've been loud.