Overview
CVE-2025-49531 is a severe security vulnerability that affects Illustrator versions 28.7.6, 29.5.1 and earlier. This particular vulnerability, known as an integer overflow or wraparound, could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. This could potentially lead to a system compromise or data leakage, making it a significant threat to users of the affected Illustrator versions.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires user interaction, meaning that a victim must open a malicious file for the exploit to occur. This makes it a socially-engineered threat where users are tricked into opening infected files, thus compromising their systems. This blog post aims to provide a detailed analysis of this CVE, its impact, and the mitigation steps users can take.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-49531
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 exploit works by taking advantage of an integer overflow or wraparound vulnerability in the affected Illustrator versions. An attacker creates a malicious file with specific values that, once opened in Illustrator, trigger the integer overflow. This can result in an out-of-bounds memory access, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.
Conceptual Example Code
Here’s a conceptual example of how a malicious payload might appear. The payload would be embedded in a manipulated file that, when opened, triggers the integer overflow.
file_header = "Standard Illustrator File Header"
payload = "Malicious payload causing integer overflow"
file_footer = "Standard Illustrator File Footer"
malicious_file = file_header + payload + file_footerThis pseudocode is purely illustrative and does not represent an actual exploit code. It is only intended to give you an understanding of how an attacker might craft a malicious file that exploits the CVE-2025-49531 vulnerability.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, users are advised to apply the vendor patch which addresses this issue. In the absence of a patch, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as temporary mitigation, helping to detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. It is also recommended to practice caution when opening files from unknown sources, as this vulnerability requires user interaction to be exploited.
