CVE-2025-27174 is a high-severity Use After Free vulnerability (CWE-416) identified in Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 24.001.30225, 20.005.30748, 25.001.20428, and earlier. The vulnerability arises from improper memory management where the application accesses memory after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior. An attacker can craft a malicious PDF file that, when opened by a victim, triggers this flaw to execute arbitrary code within the context of the current user. The attack vector requires local access to the victim’s machine and user interaction, specifically opening the malicious document. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 reflects the vulnerability’s high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and no privileges required. Exploitation could allow attackers to install malware, steal sensitive information, or disrupt system operations. Although no public exploits are known at this time, the vulnerability’s presence in widely deployed Acrobat Reader versions makes it a critical concern. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure necessitates immediate interim mitigations. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where PDF files are frequently exchanged, such as corporate, government, and educational institutions.

The impact of CVE-2025-27174 is significant due to the widespread use of Adobe Acrobat Reader globally. Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution, enabling attackers to compromise system confidentiality by accessing sensitive documents, integrity by modifying or injecting malicious content, and availability by causing application or system crashes. Attackers could leverage this to deploy ransomware, spyware, or other malware payloads, potentially leading to data breaches, operational disruptions, and financial losses. Since the vulnerability requires user interaction, social engineering or phishing campaigns could be used to deliver malicious PDFs, increasing the attack surface. Organizations with high PDF document exchange volumes, especially those in finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure sectors, face elevated risks. The vulnerability also poses a threat to endpoint security, as compromised user machines can serve as footholds for lateral movement within networks.

1. Apply official patches from Adobe immediately once they are released to remediate the vulnerability. 2. Until patches are available, disable JavaScript execution within Acrobat Reader, as this can reduce the attack surface for malicious PDFs. 3. Implement strict email filtering and attachment scanning to detect and block malicious PDF files before they reach end users. 4. Educate users about the risks of opening unsolicited or suspicious PDF attachments, emphasizing caution with files from unknown or untrusted sources. 5. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying anomalous behaviors associated with exploitation attempts. 6. Use application whitelisting to restrict execution of unauthorized code and sandbox PDF readers where possible to limit potential damage. 7. Regularly update antivirus and antimalware signatures to detect known malicious payloads delivered via PDFs. 8. Monitor network traffic for unusual activity that could indicate exploitation attempts or post-exploitation lateral movement.