CVE-2025-54221
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe InCopy that could allow arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. Attackers could gain control of the affected system with the same privileges as the current user. Users of InCopy versions 20.4, 19.5.4 and earlier are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe InCopy
📦 What is this software?
Incopy by Adobe
Incopy by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the victim's computer, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data exfiltration, credential theft, or installation of persistent malware on the affected workstation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to user awareness training preventing malicious file opening, or application sandboxing containing the exploit.
🎯 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 InCopy version 20.5 or later, or 19.5.5 or later for older versions
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/incopy/apsb25-80.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab. 3. Find InCopy and click 'Update'. 4. Alternatively, download latest version from Adobe website. 5. Restart computer after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict file opening
allConfigure application control policies to restrict opening of untrusted InCopy files
User awareness training
allTrain users to avoid opening InCopy files from untrusted sources
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to block execution of malicious payloads
- Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious InCopy process behavior
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check InCopy version via Help > About InCopy menu. If version is 20.4, 19.5.4 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: wmic product where name="Adobe InCopy" get version
On macOS: /Applications/Adobe\ InCopy\ */Adobe\ InCopy.app/Contents/Info.plist | grep -A1 CFBundleShortVersionStringVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 20.5 or later, or 19.5.5 or later for older versions. No error messages when opening test files.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected InCopy crashes
- Suspicious child processes spawned from InCopy
- Multiple file open attempts from same user
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from InCopy process
- DNS requests to suspicious domains after file opening
SIEM Query:
process_name:"InCopy.exe" AND (event_type:"process_creation" AND child_process:"cmd.exe" OR child_process:"powershell.exe")