CVE-2025-14402
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in PDFsam Enhanced allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening malicious DOC files. The software fails to warn users about dangerous script execution in DOC files, enabling code execution in the current user's context. All users of affected PDFsam Enhanced versions are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- PDFsam Enhanced
📦 What is this software?
Enhanced by Pdfsam
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the victim's machine, data theft, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Malware installation leading to data exfiltration, credential theft, and persistence mechanisms being established on the compromised system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to application sandboxing, user privilege restrictions, and network segmentation preventing lateral movement.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction but is technically simple once a malicious DOC file is opened. The ZDI advisory suggests active exploitation is probable.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check vendor advisory for specific patched version
Vendor Advisory: https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-25-1090/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Visit the PDFsam Enhanced official website
2. Download and install the latest version
3. Restart the application and any related services
4. Verify the update was successful
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable DOC file handling
allRemove or modify file associations to prevent PDFsam Enhanced from opening DOC files
Windows: assoc .doc=
Linux: Remove .doc MIME type associations
macOS: Use RCDefaultApp to change file associations
Application sandboxing
allRun PDFsam Enhanced in a restricted environment or sandbox
Windows: Use Windows Sandbox or AppLocker
Linux: Use Firejail or bubblewrap
macOS: Use Apple's sandboxing features
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict email filtering to block DOC attachments
- Deploy endpoint protection with behavioral analysis to detect malicious DOC file execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check PDFsam Enhanced version against the patched version in vendor advisoryCheck Version:
PDFsam Enhanced: Help → About or check application propertiesVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the patched version number📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process creation from PDFsam Enhanced
- Suspicious network connections originating from PDFsam Enhanced process
- Failed attempts to execute scripts or commands
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections to unknown IPs after opening DOC files
- DNS requests to suspicious domains from PDFsam Enhanced
SIEM Query:
Process Creation where Parent Process contains 'pdfsam' AND (Command Line contains '.doc' OR Command Line contains suspicious patterns)