CVE-2025-21164
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-21164 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Substance3D Designer that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. This affects users of Substance3D Designer versions 14.1 and earlier, requiring user interaction to trigger exploitation.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Substance3D Designer
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the victim's computer in the context of the current user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement.
Likely Case
Malicious actors craft specially designed Substance3D Designer files and distribute them via phishing or compromised websites, leading to malware installation on systems where users open these files.
If Mitigated
With proper security controls like application allowlisting, restricted user privileges, and security awareness training, impact is limited to potential file corruption or application crashes.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious file) and knowledge of the file format structure. No public exploits have been reported as of the advisory date.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 14.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/substance3d_designer/apsb25-62.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Substance3D Designer. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to install version 14.2 or later. 4. Restart the application after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file opening
allConfigure application controls to prevent opening untrusted Substance3D Designer files
User privilege reduction
windowsRun Substance3D Designer with limited user privileges to reduce impact of successful exploitation
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application allowlisting to restrict which applications can run on affected systems
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect malicious file execution patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Substance3D Designer version via Help > About. If version is 14.1 or earlier, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Not applicable - check via application GUI Help > About menuVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 14.2 or later via Help > About. Test opening known safe Substance3D Designer files to ensure functionality.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes with memory access violations
- Unexpected process creation from Substance3D Designer
- File access to suspicious Substance3D Designer file extensions
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Substance3D Designer to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains following file opening
SIEM Query:
process_name:"Substance3D Designer.exe" AND (event_type:crash OR parent_process:explorer.exe AND child_process:cmd.exe)