CVE-2025-14403 is a remote code execution vulnerability identified in PDFsam Enhanced version 7.0.76.15222. The root cause is an insufficient user interface warning mechanism associated with the Launch action feature, which allows the execution of potentially dangerous scripts without adequately alerting the user. This flaw is categorized under CWE-356, indicating a failure to warn users about unsafe actions. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as opening a malicious PDF file or visiting a malicious webpage that triggers the Launch action. Once triggered, the vulnerability enables an attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user, potentially compromising system confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack vector is local (AV:L), with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), but requires user interaction (UI:R). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), and the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no known exploits have been reported in the wild, the vulnerability was assigned a CVSS v3.0 score of 7.8, reflecting a high risk. The lack of patch links suggests that a fix may not yet be publicly available, emphasizing the need for immediate mitigation. The vulnerability was reported by the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) as ZDI-CAN-27500 and published on December 23, 2025. Organizations using PDFsam Enhanced should be aware of this threat, especially since the product is used for PDF manipulation and document workflows, which are common in many business environments.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the widespread use of PDFsam Enhanced for document management and PDF editing tasks. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution, allowing attackers to install malware, steal sensitive information, or disrupt business operations. The requirement for user interaction means phishing or social engineering campaigns could be leveraged to trick employees into opening malicious files or links, increasing the attack surface. Confidentiality breaches could expose personal data or intellectual property, violating GDPR and other data protection regulations, potentially resulting in legal and financial penalties. Integrity and availability impacts could disrupt workflows, causing operational downtime and reputational damage. Organizations in sectors such as finance, legal, government, and healthcare, which rely heavily on document processing, are particularly vulnerable. The absence of known exploits in the wild provides a window for proactive defense, but the high CVSS score underscores the urgency of addressing the vulnerability before attackers develop reliable exploit code.

1. Disable or restrict the Launch action feature in PDFsam Enhanced until a patch is available to prevent automatic execution of scripts. 2. Implement strict file validation and filtering policies to block or quarantine suspicious PDF files from untrusted sources. 3. Educate users about the risks of opening files or links from unknown or untrusted origins, emphasizing the need for caution with PDF documents. 4. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor for unusual process executions or script launches originating from PDFsam Enhanced. 5. Use application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution triggered by PDFsam Enhanced. 6. Regularly update PDFsam Enhanced once patches are released by the vendor to address this vulnerability. 7. Integrate email security gateways with advanced attachment scanning to detect and block malicious PDFs. 8. Conduct phishing simulations and awareness training to reduce the likelihood of successful social engineering attacks exploiting this vulnerability. 9. Monitor network traffic for anomalies that could indicate exploitation attempts. 10. Maintain robust backup and recovery procedures to mitigate the impact of potential ransomware or destructive payloads delivered via this vulnerability.