CVE-2025-61818 is a Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability identified in Adobe InCopy, a professional word processing software widely used in publishing and media industries. The vulnerability affects versions 20.5, 19.5.5, and earlier. A Use After Free flaw occurs when a program continues to use memory after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior that attackers can exploit to execute arbitrary code. In this case, an attacker crafts a malicious InCopy file that, when opened by a user, triggers the vulnerability. This results in the execution of attacker-controlled code within the context of the current user, potentially allowing data theft, system manipulation, or further malware deployment. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 reflects high severity, with attack vector local (requiring user interaction), low attack complexity, no privileges required, and user interaction necessary. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability, making it a critical concern for affected users. No patches or exploit code are currently publicly available, but the vulnerability is officially published and reserved since October 2025. Given Adobe InCopy’s role in content creation workflows, exploitation could disrupt business operations or lead to data breaches.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-61818 can be significant, particularly for those in publishing, media, advertising, and creative sectors where Adobe InCopy is commonly used. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized code execution, enabling attackers to steal sensitive information, manipulate documents, or deploy ransomware and other malware. This could result in operational disruption, reputational damage, and financial losses. Since the vulnerability requires user interaction, phishing or social engineering campaigns could be employed to deliver malicious files. The high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact means that critical business data and workflows could be compromised. Additionally, organizations with less mature endpoint security or patch management processes are at greater risk. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate the risk of future attacks once exploit code becomes available.

1. Monitor Adobe’s official channels closely for patches and apply them immediately upon release to remediate the vulnerability. 2. Until patches are available, restrict the opening of InCopy files from untrusted or unknown sources, especially via email or file sharing platforms. 3. Implement robust email filtering and phishing detection to reduce the likelihood of malicious file delivery. 4. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions with behavior-based detection to identify suspicious activity related to InCopy processes. 5. Educate users about the risks of opening unsolicited or unexpected files and encourage verification before opening. 6. Use application whitelisting to limit execution of unauthorized code. 7. Regularly back up critical data to enable recovery in case of compromise. 8. Consider network segmentation to isolate systems running Adobe InCopy from sensitive environments. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling file sources, user awareness, and advanced detection tailored to this vulnerability’s exploitation vector.