Overview
This blog post aims to shed light on a critical security vulnerability that has been identified in certain versions of Adobe Framemaker, a popular document processing software. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-54230, could potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user on the compromised system.
The implications of this vulnerability are severe, as it can potentially lead to unauthorized system compromise and data leakage. This vulnerability predominantly affects users of Adobe Framemaker versions 2020.8, 2022.6, and earlier. It is crucial for all stakeholders to understand the nature of this vulnerability, how it can be exploited, and what measures can be taken to mitigate its impact.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-54230
Severity: High, CVSS Score 7.8
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
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Product | Affected Versions
Adobe Framemaker | 2020.8 and earlier
Adobe Framemaker | 2022.6 and earlier
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from a Use After Free issue in the affected versions of Adobe Framemaker. Use After Free refers to the attempt to access memory after it has been freed, which can cause a program to crash or, potentially, execute arbitrary code. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by tricking a user into opening a malicious file. When the victim opens this file, it triggers the vulnerability, potentially allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.
Conceptual Example Code
The following pseudocode represents a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited:
def exploit_vulnerability(target_file):
# Load malicious payload
payload = load_payload("malicious_payload.txt")
# Open the target file in Adobe FrameMaker
file = open_file(target_file)
# Insert the malicious payload into the file
insert_payload(file, payload)
# Save and close the file
close_file(file)
print("Exploit completed.")In this example, the function `exploit_vulnerability` is used to insert a malicious payload into a target file. When this file is opened in Adobe Framemaker, it will trigger the Use After Free vulnerability and potentially allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code.
Recommended Mitigation
Affected users are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, deploying a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation method by detecting and blocking attempts to exploit this vulnerability.
Please remember that while these mitigation methods can reduce the risk, they do not eliminate it entirely. Therefore, it is crucial to apply the vendor patch as soon as possible.