Author: Ameeba

Overview

This blog post provides a detailed analysis of a serious vulnerability identified in Adobe Framemaker, marked as CVE-2025-47123. Adobe Framemaker, a desktop publishing software product widely used for writing and editing large or complex documents, is affected by a significant Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability in its versions 2020.8, 2022.6 and earlier. This issue is of particular concern as it could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The implications of this vulnerability are considerable, as it provides a gateway for potential system compromise or data leakage.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-47123
Severity: High severity | CVSS score: 7.8
Attack Vector: File-based
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Arbitrary code execution, potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Adobe Framemaker | 2020.8 and earlier
Adobe Framemaker | 2022.6 and earlier

How the Exploit Works

The Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability in Adobe Framemaker can be exploited when a user opens a malicious file. The attacker creates a file designed to overflow the heap buffer when processed by Adobe Framemaker. This overflow can corrupt data, crash the application, or allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code. The last potential outcome is particularly dangerous, as it means the attacker can execute commands on the system with the same privileges as the user running the vulnerable software.

Conceptual Example Code

A conceptual example of this exploit could look like this:

$ # Attacker creates a malicious file
$ echo "overflow data" > malicious_file.fmk
$ # Victim opens the malicious file in Adobe Framemaker
$ open -a Adobe\ Framemaker malicious_file.fmk

In this example, `overflow data` is a placeholder for actual overflow-inducing data. The exact nature of this data would depend on specific vulnerabilities in the software’s file parsing code. The `open` command represents a user opening the file using Adobe Framemaker.

Overview

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has recently reported a severe vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-47122. This vulnerability affects Adobe Framemaker versions 2020.8, 2022.6 and earlier, potentially exposing a wide range of systems to threats. The vulnerability is due to a heap-based buffer overflow, which, if successfully exploited, could result in arbitrary code execution by an attacker. This blog post will delve deeper into the technical aspects of this vulnerability, including its impact, mitigation guidance, and how it can be exploited.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-47122
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Adobe Framemaker | 2020.8
Adobe Framemaker | 2022.6 and earlier

How the Exploit Works

The heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Framemaker stems from improper memory management during the handling of certain files. If a user is tricked into opening a specially crafted malicious file, an attacker can trigger a buffer overflow. This overflow can corrupt adjacent blocks of memory, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the user running the application. This can potentially lead to full system compromise.

Conceptual Example Code

To illustrate how an exploit might look in practice, consider the following conceptual example. This pseudocode represents a simplistic version of the overflow-triggering payload:

buffer = "A" * 5000  # Create a buffer with 5000 'A' characters
file = open("malicious.framemakerfile", "w")  # Open a new Framemaker file
file.write(buffer)  # Write the buffer to the file
file.close()  # Close the file

In this example, a malicious file is created with a size greater than what the application can handle, causing the buffer overflow when the file is opened in Adobe Framemaker.

Mitigation Guidance

To mitigate this vulnerability, Adobe has released a patch which should be applied immediately. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems can potentially detect and block attempts to exploit the vulnerability. However, these should not be seen as long-term solutions, and patching the software should be a priority to ensure system safety.

Overview

CVE-2025-47099 is a critical vulnerability discovered in older versions of InCopy, a popular desktop publishing software. This vulnerability stems from a heap-based buffer overflow issue, which could potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the current user. Given the widespread use of InCopy, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to individuals and organizations alike, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-47099
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: User
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Arbitrary code execution, potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

InCopy | 20.3, 19.5.3, and earlier

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability arises from a flaw in the manner in which InCopy handles memory allocation for certain file types. A maliciously crafted file, when opened by a user, can cause a heap-based buffer overflow, overwriting memory areas that should not be accessible. This can lead to the execution of arbitrary code in the context of the user who opened the file, potentially allowing an attacker to compromise the system or leak sensitive data.

Conceptual Example Code

Here’s a conceptual example of how a malicious payload might be crafted. Note that the actual exploit would involve complex binary manipulations and would likely be embedded within a file format that InCopy can open.

#!/bin/bash
# Create a file with a payload that causes a buffer overflow
echo -n 'HEADER' > exploit.icml
echo -n 'OVERFLOW_PAYLOAD' >> exploit.icml
echo -n 'ARBITRARY_CODE' >> exploit.icml
# The resulting file `exploit.icml` can be opened by InCopy, causing a buffer overflow and the execution of the arbitrary code.

Mitigation

To protect against this vulnerability, users should apply the latest vendor-provided patches for InCopy. If patches are not available or cannot be applied immediately, it is recommended to use Web Application Firewalls (WAF) or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) as a temporary mitigation method to detect potential exploit attempts. Furthermore, users should be cautious when opening files from untrusted sources, as the exploit requires user interaction to be successful.

Overview

CVE-2025-49532 is a critical vulnerability found in several versions of Illustrator that could potentially compromise the entire system and result in data leakage. The vulnerability stems from an Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound) issue, which could be exploited to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Given the widespread use of Illustrator across multiple platforms and industries, this vulnerability poses a serious threat to users, particularly if an attacker uses it to gain unauthorized access or control over sensitive information.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-49532
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Illustrator | 28.7.6, 29.5.1 and earlier

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability occurs due to an Integer Underflow within Illustrator. An Integer Underflow is a condition that can occur in an application when an integer value is decreased below the minimum value that the integer type can store or represent. In this case, the underflow can lead to a buffer overflow condition, which can be manipulated by an attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the current user.
To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker needs to craft a malicious file and persuade the victim to open this file using the vulnerable Illustrator software. Upon opening the malicious file, the Integer Underflow vulnerability is triggered, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code.

Conceptual Example Code

Given below is a simplified conceptual representation of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This is not actual code but a conceptual representation to understand the exploitation process.

def integer_underflow(file):
buffer = bytearray()
with open(file, 'rb') as f:
buffer.extend(f.read())
# underflow occurs here
buffer_size = len(buffer) - 65536
# buffer overflow leading to arbitrary code execution
overflow = bytearray(buffer_size)
overflow.extend(buffer)
execute(overflow)

In the above example, an underflow occurs when trying to subtract a large value (65536) from the size of the buffer, which results in a negative value. This negative value is used to create a new buffer (overflow), which leads to a buffer overflow condition. This condition can be exploited to execute arbitrary code.