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CVE-2025-54229: Use After Free Vulnerability in Adobe Framemaker Leading to Arbitrary Code Execution

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Overview

CVE-2025-54229 is a significant vulnerability found in Adobe Framemaker versions 2020.8, 2022.6 and earlier. This vulnerability is a Use After Free exploit, a type of issue that can allow attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. This exploit is particularly dangerous as it can potentially compromise a system or lead to data leakage. The severity of the issue is underscored by its CVSS Severity Score of 7.8, signifying that it’s of high importance and should be addressed immediately by users and system administrators of affected systems.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-54229
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

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Product | Affected Versions

Adobe Framemaker | 2020.8, 2022.6 and earlier

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability exists due to a Use After Free condition within the Adobe Framemaker software. It happens when an application continues to use a pointer after it has been freed. This can lead to a variety of impacts, including control-flow hijacking and arbitrary code execution. In this case, a malicious actor can craft a file that, when opened by a victim using an affected version of Adobe Framemaker, could trigger the vulnerability and allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example demonstrating how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability. The example is pseudocode designed to trigger the Use After Free condition.

1. Create a new Document object in Adobe Framemaker
2. Free the Document object
3. Continue to use the Document object, triggering a Use After Free condition
4. Insert malicious code that gets executed due to the Use After Free condition

Please note this is a simplified illustration and real-world exploits would be more complex and tailored to specific software environments.

Mitigation Guidance

Users and administrators of affected systems are strongly advised to apply the appropriate patches provided by Adobe as soon as possible. If patching is not immediately feasible, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) could serve as a temporary mitigation technique to monitor and block potential exploit attempts. However, these are not long-term solutions and patching the vulnerable software is strongly recommended.

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Disclaimer:

The information and code presented in this article are provided for educational and defensive cybersecurity purposes only. Any conceptual or pseudocode examples are simplified representations intended to raise awareness and promote secure development and system configuration practices.

Do not use this information to attempt unauthorized access or exploit vulnerabilities on systems that you do not own or have explicit permission to test.

Ameeba and its authors do not endorse or condone malicious behavior and are not responsible for misuse of the content. Always follow ethical hacking guidelines, responsible disclosure practices, and local laws.

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