CVE-2025-54216: Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability in InCopy Leading to Arbitrary Code Execution

Overview

CVE-2025-54216 is a significant security vulnerability affecting InCopy versions 20.4, 19.5.4, and earlier. The issue lies in an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that could potentially lead to arbitrary code execution under the context of the current user. This vulnerability is particularly concerning due to the degree of potential damage it could cause, including system compromise or loss of sensitive data. The exploitation of this issue requires user interaction, specifically, the user would need to open a malicious file.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-54216
Severity: High, CVSS 7.8
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: User
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise, potential data leak

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

InCopy | 20.4 and earlier
InCopy | 19.5.4 and earlier

How the Exploit Works

The exploit takes advantage of an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in InCopy. This kind of vulnerability occurs when the software writes data outside the boundaries of intended memory buffers. By doing so, the attacker can manipulate the application’s execution flow or even execute arbitrary code. In this case, the attacker crafts a malicious file that triggers the vulnerability when opened by the user in the affected InCopy versions. This can lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user, potentially compromising the system or leading to data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

Given the nature of the vulnerability, an example exploit might involve crafting a malicious InCopy file with out-of-bounds data. The below pseudocode conceptualizes this:

var malicious_file = new InCopyFile();
malicious_file.insertData("normal data");
malicious_file.insertDataOutOfBound("malicious code");
malicious_file.save("malicious.icml");

In this pseudocode, the attacker creates a new InCopy file (`malicious_file`), inserts normal data, and then inserts malicious code outside the intended memory bounds. The `insertDataOutOfBound` function is representative of the attacker’s manipulation of the file to exploit the vulnerability. The malicious file is then saved and can be distributed to potential victims.