CVE-2025-54228VulnerabilityPublished 12 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-54228: Adobe InDesign Desktop · Out-of-bounds Read

Affects Adobe InDesign DesktopSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 17% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: Required: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user to take some action before the vulnerability can be exploited.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 12 Aug 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Adobe InDesign Desktop	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Given the absence of a patch at the time of this report, European organizations should implement several practical mitigations: 1) Educate users about the risks of opening unsolicited or suspicious InDesign files, emphasizing caution with email attachments and downloads. 2) Employ email filtering and sandboxing solutions to detect and block malicious InDesign files before reaching end users. 3) Restrict the use of InDesign Desktop to trusted users and environments, and consider disabling or limiting file opening capabilities where feasible. 4) Monitor network and endpoint activity for unusual file access or memory disclosure indicators related to InDesign processes. 5) Once Adobe releases a patch, prioritize immediate deployment across all affected systems. 6) Use application whitelisting and endpoint protection tools to reduce the risk of malicious file execution. 7) Maintain regular backups and ensure incident response plans include scenarios involving document-based attacks. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on user behavior, file handling policies, and proactive detection tailored to the nature of this vulnerability.

Description

InDesign Desktop versions 20.4, 19.5.4 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-54228 is the potential leakage of sensitive information through Adobe InDesign Desktop. Organizations in sectors such as publishing, advertising, media, and design that heavily rely on InDesign for document creation and layout are at higher risk. Disclosure of sensitive memory contents could include confidential project data, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information embedded in memory during document processing. While the vulnerability does not allow code execution or system compromise, the confidentiality breach could lead to reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR concerns if personal data is exposed), and competitive disadvantage. The requirement for user interaction (opening a malicious file) means that targeted phishing or social engineering campaigns could be used to exploit this vulnerability. European organizations with remote or hybrid workforces may be particularly vulnerable if users open untrusted files outside controlled environments.

CWE-125Out-of-bounds Read (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #8
The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Architecture and Design · Language Selection
Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
Mass Assignment (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Overread Buffers (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb25-79.html (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 20 Aug 2025, 02:07 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-125

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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