Overview
The vulnerability, officially designated as CVE-2025-47103, poses a significant threat to users of InDesign Desktop versions 19.5.3 and earlier. This vulnerability, a Heap-based Buffer Overflow, could lead to arbitrary code execution, potentially compromising the system or leading to data leakage. It primarily affects graphic designers, publishers, and other professionals reliant on Adobe’s InDesign software, who may unknowingly become victims of cyber attacks if they inadvertently open a malicious file.
This vulnerability matters because of the potential for a skilled attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. It’s notable that the severity of this vulnerability is elevated due to the required user interaction, which is a common point of exploit for cyber attackers.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-47103
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.8)
Attack Vector: Opening a malicious file
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
InDesign Desktop | 19.5.3 and earlier
How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in InDesign Desktop. In essence, an attacker would craft a malicious file that, when opened in the vulnerable software, overflows the software’s buffer – a temporary storage for data. This overflow can corrupt nearby memory spaces, allowing the attacker to manipulate the software’s execution flow and run arbitrary code.
Conceptual Example Code
The actual exploit would be highly dependent on the specifics of the vulnerability, which are not disclosed here for security reasons. However, conceptually, an attacker might craft a malicious `.indd` file (InDesign Document) with more data than expected, resulting in a buffer overflow.
# Conceptual malicious file creation
with open('malicious_document.indd', 'wb') as f:
# Overflow buffer with excessively large data
f.write(b'\x90' * BUFFER_SIZE + SHELLCODE)Remediation
Users are recommended to apply the vendor-provided patch as soon as possible to mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability. In the meantime, or if patches cannot be applied immediately, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary protection by detecting and blocking attempts to exploit this vulnerability.