CVE-2025-54206
📋 TL;DR
Adobe InDesign has an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that could allow arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. This affects users of InDesign Desktop versions 20.4, 19.5.4 and earlier. Attackers could gain the same privileges as the current user.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe InDesign Desktop
📦 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 access.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data exfiltration, malware installation, or lateral movement within the network.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to user awareness training, application sandboxing, and restricted file opening permissions.
🎯 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 InDesign version 20.5 or 19.5.5
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb25-79.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab. 3. Find Adobe InDesign and click 'Update'. 4. Restart computer after update completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict InDesign file opening
allConfigure system policies to restrict opening of InDesign files from untrusted sources
Application sandboxing
allRun InDesign in sandboxed environment to limit potential damage
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file opening policies and user training about suspicious InDesign files
- Use application control solutions to restrict InDesign execution to trusted locations only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check InDesign version via Help > About InDesign. If version is 20.4, 19.5.4 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check Add/Remove Programs for Adobe InDesign version. On macOS: Check Applications folder > Adobe InDesign > Get Info.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify InDesign version is 20.5 or 19.5.5 or later via Help > About InDesign.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual InDesign process behavior
- Multiple InDesign crash reports
- Suspicious file opening events
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from InDesign process to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains from InDesign
SIEM Query:
process_name:"InDesign.exe" AND (event_type:"process_crash" OR event_type:"file_open") AND file_extension:".indd"