{"id":63946,"date":"2025-08-10T04:38:41","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T04:38:41","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-07T11:56:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T17:56:44","slug":"cve-2025-43573-acrobat-reader-use-after-free-vulnerability-leading-to-arbitrary-code-execution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-43573-acrobat-reader-use-after-free-vulnerability-leading-to-arbitrary-code-execution\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-43573: Acrobat Reader Use After Free Vulnerability Leading to Arbitrary Code Execution<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity, vulnerabilities are constantly being discovered and patched. One such vulnerability that has come to light is CVE-2025-43573, affecting several versions of Acrobat Reader, a widely used software across the globe. This vulnerability could lead to arbitrary code execution, potentially compromising user systems or leading<\/a> to unauthorized data leakage. Given the ubiquity of Acrobat Reader<\/a>, this vulnerability could have a wide-ranging impact, necessitating immediate attention and mitigation.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2025-43573
\nSeverity: High (CVSS Score: 7.8)
\nAttack Vector: Local
\nPrivileges Required: None
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Arbitrary code execution potentially leading<\/a> to system compromise or data leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

Acrobat Reader<\/a> | 24.001.30235
\nAcrobat Reader | 20.005.30763
\nAcrobat Reader | 25.001.20521<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The CVE-2025-43573 vulnerability arises due<\/a> to a ‘Use After Free’ flaw in the affected versions of Acrobat Reader. In essence, this means that the software continues to use memory after it has been freed or deleted. This can lead to unexpected behavior, including the execution of arbitrary code<\/a>.
\nIn the case of this vulnerability, an attacker would have to craft a malicious file, which when opened by a victim using the vulnerable versions of Acrobat Reader, would trigger the flaw and allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code<\/a> in the context of the current user. This could potentially result in a full system compromise or unauthorized data leakage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is a conceptual example of how an attacker might craft a malicious PDF to exploit this vulnerability<\/a>:<\/p>\n

# pseudo python code to create a malicious PDF\nimport PyPDF2\n# Create a PDF object\nmalicious_pdf = PyPDF2.PdfFileWriter()\n# Add malicious payload\npayload = \"\"\"\n\n\"\"\"\nmalicious_pdf.addPage(payload)\n# Save the PDF\nwith open(\"malicious.pdf\", \"wb\") as f:\nmalicious_pdf.write(f)<\/code><\/pre>\n
In this pseudo-code example, the attacker crafts a malicious PDF that contains the code to trigger the ‘Use After Free’ vulnerability when opened in the vulnerable version<\/a> of Acrobat Reader. The actual payload would be specific to the vulnerability and the attacker’s intended outcome (e.g., arbitrary code execution<\/a>, data exfiltration).
\nPlease note that the above is a conceptual example and is not intended to be used for malicious purposes. As a cybersecurity professional, it is our responsibility to understand these vulnerabilities to better protect our systems and data<\/a>, not to exploit them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview In the ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity, vulnerabilities are constantly being discovered and patched. One such vulnerability that has come to light is CVE-2025-43573, affecting several versions of Acrobat Reader, a widely used software across the globe. This vulnerability could lead to arbitrary code execution, potentially compromising user systems or leading to unauthorized data leakage. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[],"product":[],"attack_vector":[80],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-63946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","attack_vector-rce"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t