CVE-2025-54213: Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability in InDesign Desktop Providing Potential for Arbitrary Code Execution

Overview

The vulnerability in question, CVE-2025-54213, is a critical issue affecting Adobe’s InDesign Desktop versions 20.4, 19.5.4 and earlier. This vulnerability is particularly alarming due to its potential for arbitrary code execution with the permissions of the current user. This means that potentially any operation that the user can perform could also be performed by an attacker exploiting this vulnerability. It could be used to compromise systems, leak sensitive data, or cause other damage. The exploit does, however, require user interaction to execute, specifically, the user must open a malicious file.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-54213
Severity: High, CVSS score 7.8
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Current User
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

InDesign Desktop | 20.4 and earlier
InDesign Desktop | 19.5.4 and earlier

How the Exploit Works

The exploit works by taking advantage of an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in InDesign’s desktop application. An attacker crafts a malicious file that, when opened in the affected versions of InDesign, triggers the vulnerability. The out-of-bounds write allows the attacker to write data to an area of memory not allocated for the file. This can lead to data corruption, causing the software to behave unexpectedly, or in this case, execute arbitrary code.

Conceptual Example Code

Here is a conceptual example of a potential payload that could cause the out-of-bounds write:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int main() {
char buffer[10];
strcpy(buffer, "This string is too long and causes an out-of-bounds write!");
return 0;
}

This is a simple example and a real-world attack would likely be more complex. However, it gives a basic idea of how an out-of-bounds write can occur. The string is too long for the buffer, and so it writes past the end of the allocated memory.
This vulnerability can be mitigated by applying vendor patches provided by Adobe or using Web Application Firewalls (WAF) or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) as temporary mitigation measures until the patches can be applied.