Author: Ameeba

Overview

In the world of cybersecurity, the most critical assets to protect are often the most fundamental ones. A new vulnerability, CVE-2025-4275, is a stark reminder of this fact as it targets the Insyde BIOS, a low-level system component that initiates hardware during the booting process. This vulnerability allows an attacker to change the certificate on any Insyde BIOS and then launch the attached .efi file, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.
The significance of this vulnerability is underpinned by the fact that BIOS is the first software that runs when a system starts, and any compromise at this level can give an attacker comprehensive control over the system. As such, this vulnerability needs to be addressed promptly and effectively.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-4275
Severity: High (7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Insyde BIOS | All versions prior to patch

How the Exploit Works

The exploit works by running a malicious utility that changes the certificate on any Insyde BIOS. By doing so, it creates a loophole that allows the attacker to execute any .efi file of their choice. This .efi file could contain malicious code designed to compromise the system or leak data to the attacker. Given that the BIOS is a crucial component in the booting process, an exploit at this level can give an attacker almost unrestricted control over the system.

Conceptual Example Code

The following is a
conceptual
example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. It’s a simple shell command that runs the malicious utility:

$ ./malicious_utility --change-certificate --bios /dev/sda --efi /path/to/malicious.efi

In the above example, `./malicious_utility` is the malicious utility that changes the certificate on the BIOS. `–change-certificate` is the command to change the certificate, `–bios /dev/sda` specifies the target BIOS, and `–efi /path/to/malicious.efi` is the path to the malicious .efi file that the attacker aims to execute.
It’s important to note that this is a simplified, conceptual example. Actual exploitation would likely involve further steps and complexity, depending on the specifics of the targeted system and the goal of the attack.

Overview

This blog post aims to shed light on the CVE-2024-9062 vulnerability, which poses a significant threat to Archify application users. This specific vulnerability allows local processes to gain unauthorized root-level control, leading to potential system compromise and data leakage. Because Archify is widely used, this vulnerability could affect a large number of users, and the potential damage from its exploitation could be extensive. It is crucial for users and system administrators alike to understand this vulnerability and take the necessary steps to mitigate its risks.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-9062
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Unauthorized execution of actions with root-level privileges, leading to potential system compromise or data leakage.

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Archify | All versions prior to the patch

How the Exploit Works

The Archify application is structured in the “factored applications” model, where privileged operations are delegated to a helper tool, in this case, com.oct4pie.archifyhelper. This helper runs as root and is exposed via XPC. However, the helper does not verify the code signature, entitlements, or signing flags of the connecting client. Although macOS provides secure validation mechanisms like auditToken, these are not implemented in this case.
Therefore, any local process can connect to the helper and invoke privileged functionality. This results in unauthorized execution of actions with root-level privileges, leading to potential system compromise or data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited. In this case, a malicious local process connects to the vulnerable helper tool and sends commands for privileged actions:

# Establish connection to Archify helper tool
xpc_connect("com.oct4pie.archifyhelper")
# Invoke privileged functionality
xpc_send_message("delete_file", "/path/to/important/file")

This example demonstrates how a local process can invoke privileged operations, such as deleting arbitrary files, without proper authorization. This example is merely conceptual and does not represent an actual exploit code.

Overview

CVE-2024-7457 is a critical vulnerability found in the ws.stash.app.mac.daemon.helper tool used on macOS systems. This vulnerability stems from an incorrect use of macOS’s authorization model, potentially affecting all macOS users who have this tool installed. The implications of this vulnerability are severe as it can lead to unauthorized changes to system-wide network preferences and man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks which can compromise the entire system and lead to data leakage.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-7457
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Unauthorized changes to system-wide network preferences, potential man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, system compromise, and data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

MacOS | All versions with ws.stash.app.mac.daemon.helper installed

How the Exploit Works

The ws.stash.app.mac.daemon.helper tool contains a vulnerability caused by an incorrect use of macOS’s authorization model. Instead of validating the client’s authorization reference, the helper invokes AuthorizationCopyRights() using its own privileged context (root), effectively authorizing itself rather than the client. This flawed logic allows unprivileged clients to invoke privileged operations via XPC, including unauthorized changes to system-wide network preferences such as SOCKS, HTTP, and HTTPS proxy settings. The absence of proper code-signing checks further enables arbitrary processes to exploit this flaw, leading to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks through traffic redirection.

Conceptual Example Code

The following pseudocode gives a conceptual idea of how this exploit might be utilized:

# Pseudocode for exploiting CVE-2024-7457
import os
# Define malicious proxy settings
socks_proxy = "socks://malicious-proxy"
http_proxy = "http://malicious-proxy"
https_proxy = "https://malicious-proxy"
# Invoke privileged operations via XPC
os.system(f"ws.stash.app.mac.daemon.helper --set-socks-proxy {socks_proxy}")
os.system(f"ws.stash.app.mac.daemon.helper --set-http-proxy {http_proxy}")
os.system(f"ws.stash.app.mac.daemon.helper --set-https-proxy {https_proxy}")

In this pseudocode example, the attacker sets malicious proxy settings using the ws.stash.app.mac.daemon.helper tool. This would allow the attacker to redirect network traffic through their own proxy server, potentially performing a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack.

Overview

InCopy, a popular text editor in the Adobe suite, has been identified with a critical vulnerability that potentially allows malicious actors to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. This vulnerability, tagged as CVE-2025-47107, affects versions 20.2, 19.5.3 and earlier of the software. The criticality of this vulnerability emanates from the fact that successful exploitation can lead to system compromise or data leakage, underscoring the urgent need for users and system administrators to apply necessary patches.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-47107
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

InCopy | 20.2 and earlier
InCopy | 19.5.3 and earlier

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability, a Heap-based Buffer Overflow, occurs when excess data is written into the buffer, causing it to overflow and overwrite adjacent memory locations. In this case, if a user opens a malicious file, it triggers the overflow, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. This could potentially allow the attacker to gain unauthorized access to the system, leading to system compromise or data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

Though the specific code for this exploit is beyond the scope of this article, the pseudo-code below demonstrates a generic Buffer Overflow scenario:

char buffer[512];
// Copying 1024 bytes into a 512 byte buffer, causing an overflow
strcpy(buffer, get_user_input(1024));

In the context of this vulnerability, an attacker would craft a malicious file that, when opened in InCopy, triggers the buffer overflow and enables them to execute arbitrary code.

Mitigation Guidance

Users and system administrators are advised to apply the latest vendor patch to mitigate this vulnerability. In scenarios where immediate patching is not feasible, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure, helping to detect and block any attempts to exploit this vulnerability.

Overview

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has recently identified a critical vulnerability tagged as CVE-2025-43577. This vulnerability is found in multiple versions of Acrobat Reader, a widely used software for viewing, creating, manipulating, and managing files in Portable Document Format (PDF). The identified vulnerability is a Use After Free vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution, potentially allowing an attacker to take control of the affected system. Given the prevalence of Acrobat Reader across diverse sectors, from personal computing to large corporations, this vulnerability warrants immediate attention and mitigation.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-43577
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Acrobat Reader | 24.001.30235
Acrobat Reader | 20.005.30763
Acrobat Reader | 25.001.20521 and earlier versions

How the Exploit Works

The identified vulnerability resides in the memory management of Acrobat Reader. A Use After Free vulnerability occurs when the application continues to use memory after it has been freed. In this case, an attacker can craft a special PDF file that triggers a condition where Acrobat Reader uses a previously freed memory space. This condition allows the attacker to inject arbitrary code, which the application then executes. This execution occurs in the context of the current user, potentially granting the attacker the same privileges.

Conceptual Example Code

While a specific exploit code is beyond the scope of this blog post, the below pseudocode provides a simplified representation of how an attacker might leverage this vulnerability:

# Pseudocode for CVE-2025-43577 exploitation
class MaliciousPDF:
def __init__(self):
self.payload = "arbitrary_code_here"
def trigger_UAF_vulnerability(self):
# Trigger the Use After Free condition in Acrobat Reader
pass
def inject_payload(self):
# Inject the payload into the freed memory space
pass
# Create malicious PDF object
malicious_pdf = MaliciousPDF()
# Trigger UAF vulnerability and inject payload
malicious_pdf.trigger_UAF_vulnerability()
malicious_pdf.inject_payload()

This conceptual code would result in a PDF that, when opened in a vulnerable version of Acrobat Reader, would execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user.

Overview

CVE-2025-43576 is a significant vulnerability that affects multiple versions of the popular Acrobat Reader software. The vulnerability is of the Use After Free type, a common class of issues that can lead to serious consequences, including arbitrary code execution under the identity of the logged-in user. This issue is particularly concerning due to Acrobat Reader’s widespread use, which makes numerous systems potentially susceptible to exploitation.
The severity of this vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date software, vigilant monitoring of cybersecurity threats, and continuous security patching. As this vulnerability requires user interaction to exploit, it also highlights the need for ongoing user education to prevent opening of malicious files.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-43576
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Arbitrary code execution, potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Acrobat Reader | 24.001.30235, 20.005.30763, 25.001.20521 and earlier versions

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability exists due to an error within the Acrobat Reader software’s memory handling. More specifically, the software fails to properly manage memory when handling certain file types. This can lead to a “Use After Free” condition, where the software continues to use memory after it has been freed or deleted.
In the context of this vulnerability, an attacker could craft a malicious file that, when opened by a victim in Acrobat Reader, triggers this condition and allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. This could lead to a full compromise of the affected system.

Conceptual Example Code

While we won’t provide an actual exploit, a conceptual example might look something like this:

$ echo 'malicious_code' > malicious.pdf
$ acroread malicious.pdf

In the above example, the “malicious_code” represents code crafted to trigger the Use After Free condition in Acrobat Reader and execute arbitrary commands.

Mitigation

To mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability, users should immediately apply the vendor-supplied patch once available. If the patch is not yet available or cannot be applied immediately, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used as temporary mitigation.
As this vulnerability requires user interaction, educating users about the risks of opening unexpected or suspicious files can also help prevent successful exploitation.

Overview

The cybersecurity community has recently identified a severe vulnerability, designated as CVE-2025-54802, affecting pyLoad, the free and open-source download manager written in pure Python. This vulnerability can be exploited by potential attackers to compromise systems and leak data by enabling remote code execution (RCE). Particularly, pyLoad versions 0.5.0b3.dev89 and below are susceptible to this vulnerability, making it an urgent matter for users to update to the latest version or apply the necessary patches.
The severity of this vulnerability is underscored by its CVSS Severity Score, which is 9.8, indicating a critical level of risk. The vulnerability poses a significant threat as it allows unauthenticated attackers to write arbitrary files outside the designated storage directory, potentially leading to a system-wide compromise.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-54802
Severity: Critical (9.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Remote Code Execution, Privilege Escalation, Potential System Compromise, and Data Leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

pyLoad | 0.5.0b3.dev89 and below

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability lies in the ‘addcrypted’ endpoint of pyload-ng. Here, an unsafe path construction vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit path traversal. By manipulating the ‘package’ parameter, an attacker can write arbitrary files outside the designated storage directory. This can be abused to overwrite critical system files, including cron jobs and systemd services, leading to privilege escalation and remote code execution as root.

Conceptual Example Code

Note that the following is a hypothetical example illustrating how an attacker might exploit the vulnerability:

POST /addcrypted HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "package": "../../../../etc/passwd" }

In this example, the attacker is using a path traversal attack to overwrite the `/etc/passwd` file, a critical system file in Unix-based systems, potentially granting them unauthorized root access.

Mitigation Guidance

Users are advised to update to version 0.5.0b3.dev90 or later as this issue has been fixed in these versions. If updating is not immediately possible, consider implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure. Regularly monitor your system logs for any suspicious activity and always maintain a strong, up-to-date backup of your critical data.

Overview

This blog post delves into an out-of-bounds vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-43575, that affects multiple versions of Acrobat Reader. This is a critical issue as Acrobat Reader is a widely-used software for viewing, creating, manipulating, printing, and managing files in Portable Document Format (PDF). The vulnerability, if exploited, allows for arbitrary code execution, thereby putting a significant number of systems and data at risk. It’s imperative that users and administrators understand this vulnerability and implement recommended mitigation strategies.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-43575
Severity: High (CVSS score 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Acrobat Reader | 24.001.30235
Acrobat Reader | 20.005.30763
Acrobat Reader | 25.001.20521 and earlier

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability stems from an out-of-bounds write issue in the affected versions of Acrobat Reader. In essence, the software does not properly handle certain inputs, leading to a buffer overflow. This allows a malicious user to write data beyond the allocated memory buffer, potentially leading to code execution. However, for the exploit to be successful, a user must interact with a malicious file-such as opening a manipulated PDF document. This action, in turn, allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.

Conceptual Example Code

A conceptual exploit might involve a PDF file that contains malicious code. When the user opens the file with a vulnerable version of Acrobat Reader, the out-of-bounds write vulnerability is triggered, and the malicious code is executed. Here is a pseudocode example:

Open PDF file
if Acrobat Reader version is vulnerable
trigger out-of-bounds write vulnerability
execute arbitrary code
end if
Close PDF file

Note: This is a simplified representation and actual exploits would be far more complex and obfuscated to avoid detection by security software.

Mitigation Guidance

Users are strongly advised to apply the vendor-provided patch to mitigate this vulnerability. If a patch cannot be applied immediately, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure. However, these measures do not fully resolve the issue and only help to reduce the risk of exploitation. As such, applying the vendor patch should be a priority.

Overview

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system has reported a significant vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader, identified as CVE-2025-43574. This vulnerability affects several versions of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, a widely used software for viewing, creating, manipulating, and managing files in Portable Document Format (PDF). This vulnerability is of particular concern due to the vast user base of Adobe Acrobat Reader, which spans across individual users, small businesses, and large corporations, making it a potential target for cybercriminals.
The vulnerability in question is a Use After Free Vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution. This means that an attacker could manipulate the software to execute malicious code in the context of the current user. Exploiting this vulnerability requires user interaction, specifically, the user must open a malicious file. The implications of such a vulnerability are severe, as it could potentially result in a system compromise or even data leakage.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-43574
Severity: High, CVSS Score 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

Adobe Acrobat Reader | 24.001.30235, 20.005.30763, 25.001.20521 and earlier versions

How the Exploit Works

The exploit takes advantage of a Use After Free vulnerability in Acrobat Reader. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after it has been freed. In this case, an attacker could trick a user into opening a malicious PDF file that contains a specific code designed to exploit the vulnerability. The malicious code is then executed in the context of the current user.

Conceptual Example Code

While the specific code to exploit this vulnerability is beyond the scope of this article, a conceptual example might look something like this:

# pseudocode
def exploit():
malicious_code = "..."
free(pointer)
# The pointer is now dangling
pointer.execute(malicious_code)

In this pseudocode example, the `malicious_code` would be tailored to exploit the Use After Free vulnerability in Acrobat Reader, leading to arbitrary code execution.

Overview

The vulnerability CVE-2025-54135 has been recently discovered in Cursor, an AI-based code editor. The vulnerability allows a potential attacker to write in-workspace files without requiring user approval, thereby leading to a possible Remote Code Execution (RCE). This vulnerability affects versions below 1.3.9 of Cursor and can lead to significant security risks including system compromise or data leakage. Given the increasing popularity of AI-based code editors among developers, this vulnerability could have widespread implications if not addressed promptly.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-54135
Severity: High (8.5 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Cursor Code Editor | <1.3.9 How the Exploit Works

The exploit works by taking advantage of a loophole in the file permission settings of Cursor. The code editor allows writing in-workspace files without requiring user approval. If the file is a dotfile, editing it requires approval but creating a new one doesn’t. Therefore, if sensitive MCP files such as .cursor/mcp.json do not already exist in the workspace, an attacker can chain a indirect prompt injection vulnerability to hijack the context to write to the settings file and trigger Remote Code Execution (RCE) on the victim’s system without user approval.

Conceptual Example Code

Here is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited using a shell command:

# Create a new .cursor/mcp.json file
echo '{ "settings": { "command": "malicious_command_here" } }' > .cursor/mcp.json
# Trigger the indirect prompt injection vulnerability
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"filename":".cursor/mcp.json","content":"malicious_content_here"}' http://target.example.com/vulnerable/endpoint

The above code first creates a new .cursor/mcp.json file with a malicious command. Then, it triggers the indirect prompt injection vulnerability by sending a POST request to a vulnerable endpoint on the target’s system, which subsequently writes the malicious content to the settings file leading to RCE.

Remediation

The vendor has released a patch that fixes this vulnerability in version 1.3.9 of Cursor. All users are strongly advised to update to the patched version as soon as possible. As a temporary mitigation, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used to filter out malicious requests.