Overview
CVE-2025-49528 is a serious cybersecurity vulnerability affecting previous versions of Adobe Illustrator, specifically versions 28.7.6, 29.5.1 and earlier. This vulnerability is a stack-based buffer overflow that could potentially result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. In essence, this vulnerability has the potential to compromise the security of systems running these versions of Illustrator, potentially leading to data leakage or complete system takeover. The severity of this vulnerability, coupled with the widespread usage of Illustrator, makes it a significant issue that deserves immediate attention.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-49528
Severity: High (CVSS 7.8)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Adobe Illustrator | 28.7.6 and earlier
Adobe Illustrator | 29.5.1 and earlier
How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability. This vulnerability occurs when a program writes more data to a buffer located on the stack than what is actually allocated for that buffer. This excessive data then overflows into adjacent memory, overwriting what may be critical information. In this particular case, an attacker could craft a malicious file that, when opened by a user in a vulnerable version of Adobe Illustrator, overflows the buffer and allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.
Conceptual Example Code
While an exact exploitation method is beyond the scope of this post, a conceptual example might look something like this:
def malicious_file():
# Overly large buffer
buffer = "A" * 5000
# Craft malicious file
file = open("malicious.eps", "w")
file.write(buffer)
file.close()
malicious_file()This code would create a `.eps` file filled with a buffer that’s too large for Illustrator to handle, triggering the overflow.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, users of Adobe Illustrator should immediately apply the vendor-released patch. If this is not possible, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation, protecting the system from potential attacks exploiting this vulnerability. However, these measures are stopgaps and the patch should be applied as soon as possible to fully secure the system.
