CVE-2025-21164: Substance3D Designer Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability

Overview

We are shedding light on a serious security vulnerability that affects Substance3D Designer, a widely used software in the 3D industry. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-21164 could potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a victim’s machine. This vulnerability poses a significant threat as it could lead to system compromise and data leakage, impacting the privacy and security of the user. The severity of this issue is heightened due to the fact that it requires user interaction, making it a prime target for phishing attacks.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-21164
Severity: High (CVSS 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: User
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Arbitrary code execution, potential system compromise, and data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Substance3D Designer | 14.1 and earlier versions

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability stems from an out-of-bounds write condition within the Substance3D Designer software. This condition occurs when the software attempts to write data beyond the memory buffer boundaries, which could corrupt the data, crash the system, or allow the execution of arbitrary code.
An attacker would need to craft a malicious file and convince the user to open it using the Substance3D Designer software. Once the user opens the malicious file, the exploit triggers the out-of-bounds write vulnerability, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. Here, we consider a malicious file being opened in Substance3D Designer.

# The attacker crafts a malicious file
echo "malicious code" > exploit.sbs
# The victim unknowingly opens the malicious file
Substance3D Designer open exploit.sbs

Please note that this is a simplified and conceptual example. The actual exploit would involve a specifically crafted file that triggers the out-of-bounds condition, which then allows the arbitrary code to be executed.

Recommendations

Users of Substance3D Designer are advised to apply the patch provided by the vendor as soon as possible. In the meantime, utilizing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can help mitigate the risk. However, these should not be seen as long-term solutions but rather as temporary measures until the patch can be applied. Users should also be cautious when opening files from unknown or untrusted sources.