CVE-2023-25867
📋 TL;DR
Adobe Substance 3D Stager has an improper input validation vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. This affects users of Substance 3D Stager version 2.0.0 and earlier. Attackers can exploit this to run code with the victim's user privileges.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Substance 3D Stager
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the victim's computer, data theft, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data exfiltration, malware installation, or persistence mechanisms being established on the compromised system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions, potentially containing the exploit to the application context.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code has been disclosed as of the advisory date.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.0.1 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/substance3d_stager/apsb23-22.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Substance 3D Stager. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to install version 2.0.1 or later. 4. Restart the application after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file opening
allOnly open Substance 3D Stager files from trusted sources. Implement application control policies to prevent opening untrusted files.
Run with reduced privileges
allRun Substance 3D Stager with standard user privileges rather than administrative rights to limit potential damage from exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious file opening behavior
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Adobe Substance 3D Stager version in Help > About. If version is 2.0.0 or earlier, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Not applicable - check via application GUI Help > About menuVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 2.0.1 or later in Help > About. Test opening known safe files to ensure application functionality remains.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file opening events from Substance 3D Stager
- Process creation from Substance 3D Stager with suspicious command lines
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Substance 3D Stager process to unknown external IPs
SIEM Query:
process_name:"Substance 3D Stager.exe" AND (event_type:process_creation OR event_type:file_open)