CVE-2025-21123
Published: 11 February 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-21123 is a high-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Adobe Indesign. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked at the 25.6th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) and SI-16 (Memory Protection).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2025-21123 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability, associated with CWE-122 and CWE-787, affecting Adobe InDesign Desktop versions 20.0, 19.5.1, and earlier. Published on 2025-02-11, it enables arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when processing malicious input.
The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating exploitation requires local access with low complexity and no privileges, but user interaction is necessary as the victim must open a malicious file. Attackers who can deliver such a file to a target user can achieve arbitrary code execution, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a high level within the user's context.
Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-01 details mitigations and patches for this issue, available at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb25-01.html.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-2230
Vulnerability details
InDesign Desktop versions ID20.0, ID19.5.1 and earlier are affected by a Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim…
more
must open a malicious file.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Heap buffer overflow enables client-side arbitrary code execution via malicious file opened by user (T1204.002), directly matching T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Mandates timely identification, reporting, prioritization, and correction of software flaws like the heap-based buffer overflow in Adobe InDesign to prevent arbitrary code execution.
Implements memory protections such as non-executable memory regions and address space layout randomization to mitigate exploitation of heap buffer overflows for unauthorized code execution.
Deploys malicious code protection mechanisms to scan and block malicious InDesign files that exploit the buffer overflow vulnerability before or during execution.