Overview
InDesign Desktop, a widely used software for digital media creation, has been discovered to have a significant vulnerability, CVE-2025-54210. This flaw affects older versions of the software, specifically versions 20.4, 19.5.4, and earlier. The severity of this vulnerability, coupled with its potential for system compromise or data leakage, makes it a critical issue that all users of InDesign Desktop should address promptly.
This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can lead to arbitrary code execution, a type of attack where an attacker can run arbitrary commands or code within the context of the current user. This could potentially give the attacker control over the victim’s system, leading to serious security implications.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-54210
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
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Product | Affected Versions
InDesign Desktop | 20.4, 19.5.4 and earlier
How the Exploit Works
The CVE-2025-54210 vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write flaw. This means that data is written past the end of its intended boundary. This can corrupt data, crash the system, or allow the execution of arbitrary code.
In this case, an attacker needs to convince a victim to open a malicious file. When the file is opened, the exploit triggers an out-of-bounds write, which can enable the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.
Conceptual Example Code
This is a hypothetical example illustrating how this vulnerability might be exploited:
# Attacker creates a malicious InDesign file that triggers the out-of-bounds write
$ echo "malicious_payload" > exploit.indd
# Attacker tricks the victim into opening the malicious file
$ email -s "Important Design File" -a exploit.indd victim@example.comIn the above pseudocode, the attacker first creates a malicious InDesign file (`exploit.indd`) containing the payload that triggers the out-of-bounds write (`malicious_payload`). The attacker then sends this file to the victim, tricking them into opening it.
Remember, this is a simplified and conceptual example. In real-world scenarios, the malicious payload would be carefully crafted to exploit the specific vulnerability and execute arbitrary code.
