CVE-2025-54255 is a vulnerability identified in multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader, specifically versions 24.001.30254, 20.005.30774, 25.001.20672, and earlier. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-657, which refers to a Violation of Secure Design Principles. This type of weakness generally indicates that the software's security architecture or design does not adequately enforce security controls, leading to potential bypasses of security features. In this case, the vulnerability allows an attacker to bypass a security feature that impacts the integrity of the application or its data. Notably, exploitation does not require any user authentication or interaction, meaning an attacker can trigger the vulnerability remotely without the victim's involvement. The attack vector is local (AV:L), which suggests that the attacker must have local access to the system to exploit the vulnerability. The attack complexity is low (AC:L), and no privileges are required (PR:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), indicating that the vulnerability affects only the vulnerable component without impacting other components. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.0, which is considered medium severity. The impact is limited to integrity (I:L), with no impact on confidentiality or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability's presence in widely used versions of Acrobat Reader means that many users and organizations could be exposed if local access is gained by an attacker. Given that Acrobat Reader is a common tool for viewing PDF documents, this vulnerability could be leveraged in scenarios where an attacker has local access to a system, such as through compromised credentials or insider threats, to alter or bypass security features that protect document integrity or application behavior.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-54255 primarily concerns the integrity of documents and the security features within Acrobat Reader. Since Acrobat Reader is extensively used across various sectors including government, finance, legal, and healthcare, any compromise of document integrity could lead to unauthorized modification of sensitive documents, potentially affecting compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR. Although the vulnerability requires local access, this could be exploited in environments where endpoint security is weak or where attackers have gained foothold through other means. The lack of user interaction needed for exploitation increases the risk in controlled environments where users might not be aware of malicious activities. The integrity impact could undermine trust in document authenticity, which is critical for contractual, legal, and regulatory processes. Additionally, organizations relying on Acrobat Reader for secure document workflows might face operational disruptions if attackers leverage this vulnerability to bypass security controls. However, the absence of confidentiality and availability impacts limits the scope of damage to data tampering rather than data leakage or service disruption.

To mitigate CVE-2025-54255, European organizations should implement a multi-layered approach: 1) Restrict local access to systems running vulnerable versions of Acrobat Reader by enforcing strict access controls and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. 2) Employ application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect and prevent exploitation attempts locally. 3) Maintain strict patch management policies and monitor Adobe's security advisories for the release of patches addressing this vulnerability; apply updates promptly once available. 4) Use sandboxing or containerization techniques for running Acrobat Reader to limit the impact of any potential exploitation. 5) Educate users and administrators about the risks of local access vulnerabilities and enforce least privilege principles to minimize the number of users with local system access. 6) Implement integrity verification mechanisms for critical documents, such as digital signatures or hash checks, to detect unauthorized modifications. 7) Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments focusing on endpoint security to identify and remediate potential attack vectors that could lead to local access exploitation.