CVE-2025-43575
📋 TL;DR
Adobe Acrobat Reader has an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious PDF file. This affects users running vulnerable versions of Acrobat Reader on any operating system. Attackers can gain the same privileges as the current user through crafted documents.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
📦 What is this software?
Acrobat by Adobe
Acrobat by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining user-level privileges, data theft, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Malware installation, credential theft, and data exfiltration from the compromised user's system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with user awareness preventing malicious file execution and endpoint protection blocking exploit attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code available at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Update to versions after those listed in affected versions
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb25-57.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to install latest version. 4. Restart computer after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript in Acrobat Reader
allPrevents JavaScript-based exploitation vectors
Edit > Preferences > JavaScript > Uncheck 'Enable Acrobat JavaScript'
Use Protected View
allOpen untrusted PDFs in Protected View mode
File > Open > Select 'Protected View' option when opening untrusted files
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Block PDF files from untrusted sources at email/web gateways
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized executables
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader and compare version to affected versions listCheck Version:
On Windows: wmic product where name='Adobe Acrobat Reader DC' get versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is newer than affected versions and check for successful update in update history📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Acrobat crash logs with memory access violations
- Unexpected child processes spawned from Acrobat
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Acrobat to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains after PDF opening
SIEM Query:
process_name:AcroRd32.exe AND (event_id:1000 OR parent_process:explorer.exe)