CVE-2025-27182
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2025-27182 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe After Effects that could allow arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. This affects users of After Effects versions 25.1, 24.6.4 and earlier, requiring user interaction to trigger the exploit.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe After Effects
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the current user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to malware installation, data exfiltration, or system disruption on the affected workstation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions, potentially only affecting the After Effects process.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) and knowledge of file format manipulation. No public exploits known at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 25.2 or later, 24.6.5 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/after_effects/apsb25-23.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' section. 3. Find After Effects and click 'Update'. 4. Follow on-screen prompts to complete installation. 5. Restart computer after update completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file opening
allImplement application control to prevent opening untrusted After Effects project files
User awareness training
allTrain users to only open After Effects files from trusted sources
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application sandboxing to limit After Effects process privileges
- Restrict user permissions to prevent system-wide impact from successful exploitation
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check After Effects version via Help > About After Effects menu. If version is 25.1, 24.6.4 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check version in Help > About After Effects. On macOS: Check version in After Effects > About After Effects.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify After Effects version is 25.2 or later, or 24.6.5 or later after applying update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected After Effects crashes
- Suspicious file opening events in application logs
- Unusual process creation from After Effects
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from After Effects process
- DNS requests to suspicious domains after file opening
SIEM Query:
process_name:"AfterFX.exe" AND (event_type:"process_crash" OR parent_process:"AfterFX.exe" AND process_name NOT IN ("expected_child_processes"))