CVE-2025-49526
📋 TL;DR
Adobe Illustrator versions 28.7.6, 29.5.1 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that could allow arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. This affects all users running vulnerable versions of Illustrator on any operating system where the software is installed.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Illustrator
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise via arbitrary code execution with current user privileges, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement.
Likely Case
Malicious actor tricks user into opening specially crafted Illustrator file, leading to malware installation or data exfiltration.
If Mitigated
User opens malicious file but exploit fails due to security controls like ASLR, DEP, or antivirus detection.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code known at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Update to Illustrator 28.7.7 or 29.5.2
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb25-65.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab. 3. Find Adobe Illustrator. 4. Click 'Update' button. 5. Restart computer after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Illustrator file opening
allTemporarily disable Illustrator file associations to prevent accidental opening of malicious files.
Windows: assoc .ai=
macOS: duti -d com.adobe.illustrator ai
Enhanced file validation
allUse antivirus/EDR to scan all Illustrator files before opening.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to block Illustrator execution
- Educate users to never open Illustrator files from untrusted sources
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Illustrator version via Help > About Illustrator. If version is 28.7.6 or earlier, or 29.5.1 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Illustrator: Help > About IllustratorVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 28.7.7 or higher, or 29.5.2 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Illustrator crash logs with memory access violations
- Unexpected Illustrator child processes
Network Indicators:
- Illustrator process making unexpected outbound connections
SIEM Query:
process_name:"Illustrator.exe" AND (event_type:"process_creation" OR event_type:"crash")