{"id":83089,"date":"2025-10-17T06:44:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T06:44:20","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-28T11:37:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T17:37:13","slug":"cve-2025-54224-use-after-free-vulnerability-in-indesign-desktop-versions-leading-to-arbitrary-code-execution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2025-54224-use-after-free-vulnerability-in-indesign-desktop-versions-leading-to-arbitrary-code-execution\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2025-54224: Use After Free Vulnerability in InDesign Desktop Versions Leading to Arbitrary Code Execution<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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<\/a> 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<\/a> to system compromise or data leakage.<\/p>\n

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

CVE ID: CVE-2025-54224
\nSeverity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
\nAttack Vector: Local
\nPrivileges Required: None
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Arbitrary code execution<\/a> leading to potential system compromise or data leakage<\/p>\n

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

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

InDesign Desktop | 20.4 and earlier
\nInDesign Desktop | 19.5.4 and earlier<\/p>\n

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

The vulnerability exploits a Use After Free scenario within the InDesign<\/a> 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<\/a>. 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<\/a> to run in the context of the current user.<\/p>\n

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

Given the nature of this vulnerability, the conceptual example code<\/a> would involve the creation of a file containing malicious code. This could look something like:<\/p>\n

class MaliciousFile:\ndef __init__(self):\nself.payload = b\"\\x41\" * 100 # this represents the malicious payload\ndef save(self, filename):\nwith open(filename, 'wb') as f:\nf.write(self.payload)<\/code><\/pre>\n
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<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/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-83089","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