Overview
There exists a critical vulnerability in InDesign Desktop versions 20.4, 19.5.4 and earlier which could potentially result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. This vulnerability is designated as CVE-2025-54224. The exploitation of this issue requires user interaction wherein a victim is compelled to open a malicious file. Given the widespread use of InDesign in the desktop publishing industry, this vulnerability poses a serious threat to millions of users worldwide, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-54224
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Arbitrary code execution leading to potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
InDesign Desktop | 20.4 and earlier
InDesign Desktop | 19.5.4 and earlier
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability exploits a Use After Free scenario within the InDesign Desktop software. Use After Free refers to the attempt to access memory after it has been freed, which can cause a program to crash or, in the case of a Use-After-Free flaw, can potentially result in the execution of arbitrary code. In this case, a malicious actor can craft a file that, when opened in the affected versions of InDesign, triggers the flaw and allows the attacker’s code to run in the context of the current user.
Conceptual Example Code
Given the nature of this vulnerability, the conceptual example code would involve the creation of a file containing malicious code. This could look something like:
class MaliciousFile:
def __init__(self):
self.payload = b"\x41" * 100 # this represents the malicious payload
def save(self, filename):
with open(filename, 'wb') as f:
f.write(self.payload)In this pseudocode, a malicious file is created with a payload that triggers the Use After Free vulnerability when opened in the affected InDesign versions. Please note that this is a conceptual example and the actual exploit would likely be much more complex and specifically crafted to target the vulnerability in question.