CVE-2025-54271
📋 TL;DR
A Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability in Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop versions 6.7.0.278 and earlier allows low-privileged attackers to write arbitrary files to the filesystem without user interaction. This affects all users running vulnerable Creative Cloud Desktop versions on any operating system.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could overwrite critical system files, install malware, or achieve privilege escalation by manipulating file operations during the race condition window.
Likely Case
Local attackers could modify configuration files, inject malicious scripts, or tamper with application data to disrupt operations or maintain persistence.
If Mitigated
With proper patching and least-privilege user accounts, impact is limited to potential temporary file corruption in non-critical directories.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires precise timing and local access, making it moderately complex but feasible for skilled attackers.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 6.7.0.279 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb25-95.html
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Open Creative Cloud Desktop app. 2. Click the gear icon (Settings). 3. Select 'Preferences'. 4. Go to 'Apps' tab. 5. Enable 'Automatically update Creative Cloud apps'. 6. Manually check for updates and install version 6.7.0.279 or newer.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local user privileges
allApply least privilege principle to limit what low-privileged users can do on affected systems.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove Creative Cloud Desktop from high-risk workstations until patching is possible
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized file modifications
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Creative Cloud Desktop version in app settings or via 'Creative Cloud.exe --version' command.Check Version:
On Windows: "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Creative Cloud\ACC\Creative Cloud.exe" --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is 6.7.0.279 or newer in Creative Cloud Desktop preferences.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file modification patterns in Creative Cloud directories
- Multiple rapid file access attempts by low-privileged users
Network Indicators:
- No network indicators - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
EventID 4663 (File system audit) showing low-privilege users writing to protected Creative Cloud directories