CVE-2025-47097 is a high-severity integer underflow vulnerability (CWE-191) affecting Adobe InCopy versions 20.3, 19.5.3, and earlier. An integer underflow occurs when an arithmetic operation causes a variable to wrap around below its minimum value, potentially leading to unexpected behavior such as buffer overflows or memory corruption. In this case, the vulnerability can be triggered when a user opens a specially crafted malicious file in Adobe InCopy. Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user. The vulnerability requires user interaction, specifically opening a malicious file, and does not require prior authentication. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.8, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and no privileges required. Although no public exploits are currently known, the potential for arbitrary code execution makes this a significant threat. Adobe InCopy is a professional word processing software used primarily in editorial workflows, often alongside Adobe InDesign, making it a target in creative and publishing environments. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure increases the urgency for mitigation.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability could be substantial, especially for media, publishing, advertising agencies, and other creative industries that rely on Adobe InCopy for collaborative editorial workflows. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized code execution, enabling attackers to steal sensitive content, manipulate documents, or establish persistence within corporate networks. This could result in intellectual property theft, disruption of publishing schedules, reputational damage, and potential data breaches involving confidential editorial or client information. Since the vulnerability requires user interaction, phishing or social engineering campaigns could be used to deliver malicious files. The compromise of individual workstations could serve as a foothold for lateral movement within an organization’s network, potentially escalating to broader enterprise impact. Given the high confidentiality and integrity impact, organizations handling sensitive or proprietary content are at increased risk.

European organizations should implement targeted mitigations beyond generic advice: 1) Restrict Adobe InCopy usage to trusted users and environments, minimizing exposure. 2) Educate users on the risks of opening files from untrusted or unknown sources, emphasizing caution with email attachments and downloads. 3) Employ application whitelisting and sandboxing techniques to limit the execution context of Adobe InCopy and reduce the impact of potential exploits. 4) Monitor network and endpoint behavior for anomalies indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unexpected process launches or file modifications. 5) Implement strict email filtering and attachment scanning to block or flag suspicious files before reaching end users. 6) Prepare for patch deployment by tracking Adobe’s updates closely and testing patches promptly once available. 7) Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect and respond to exploitation attempts quickly. 8) Consider disabling or restricting macros and scripting features within Adobe InCopy if applicable, to reduce attack surface.