Overview

This report outlines the details of a critical vulnerability, CVE-2025-54257, affecting multiple versions of Acrobat Reader. This vulnerability, if exploited, could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. This poses a significant risk to any individual or organization utilizing the affected versions of Acrobat Reader, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-54257
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: The successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to arbitrary code execution, potentially resulting in system compromise or data leakage.

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Acrobat Reader | 24.001.30254
Acrobat Reader | 20.005.30774
Acrobat Reader | 25.001.20672 and earlier versions

How the Exploit Works

This vulnerability lies in a use-after-free condition within Acrobat Reader. Use-after-free is a type of vulnerability where a piece of memory is used after it has been freed. This can lead to a variety of impacts, including causing a program to crash, enabling arbitrary code execution, or even allowing for the escalation of privileges.
The attacker needs to craft a malicious file that, when opened by the victim, exploits the use-after-free condition, thereby allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of a payload that could be incorporated into a malicious file to exploit the vulnerability:

#include <stdlib.h>
// Exploit for CVE-2025-54257
int main() {
char* memory = malloc(100); // Allocate memory
free(memory); // Free the memory
strcpy(memory, "malicious_payload"); // Use the memory after it's been freed
return 0;
}

This code is a simplified representation and the actual exploit could be more complex, involving specific memory addresses and assembly instructions to gain control over the program execution flow.

Mitigation Guidance

Users of the affected products are advised to apply the vendor-supplied patch to mitigate this vulnerability. In the absence of a patch, users can employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary solution. However, these measures won’t completely eliminate the threat and it’s recommended to apply the patch as soon as it’s available.