CVE-2024-41864: Adobe Substance 3D Designer RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-41864 Overview

CVE-2024-41864 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability [CWE-787] affecting Adobe Substance 3D Designer versions 13.1.2 and earlier. The flaw allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when a victim opens a malicious file. Exploitation requires user interaction, limiting mass-exploitation scenarios but preserving risk in targeted attacks against designers and 3D artists. Adobe published a security advisory (APSB24-67) addressing this issue alongside related Substance 3D Designer vulnerabilities.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation results in arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the logged-in user, potentially leading to full workstation compromise.

Affected Products

Adobe Substance 3D Designer 13.1.2
Adobe Substance 3D Designer versions prior to 13.1.2
Windows and macOS installations of Substance 3D Designer

Discovery Timeline

2024-08-14 - CVE-2024-41864 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2024-08-14 - Adobe releases security advisory APSB24-67
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-41864

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write condition triggered during the parsing of a specially crafted file in Adobe Substance 3D Designer. Substance 3D Designer processes complex proprietary and third-party 3D asset formats, and inadequate bounds validation during file parsing allows attacker-controlled data to be written past the boundary of an allocated buffer.

Out-of-bounds writes corrupt adjacent memory structures. Attackers can leverage that corruption to overwrite function pointers, virtual table entries, or heap metadata. The resulting control-flow hijack redirects execution into attacker-supplied shellcode, yielding arbitrary code execution in the user context.

Because the vulnerable code path lies inside a file parser, no network authentication is required. The attack scope remains local, and the victim must be persuaded to open the malicious file through social engineering, email attachment, or a supply-chain asset library.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incorrect bounds checking during deserialization of untrusted file content. When the parser calculates offsets or record sizes from attacker-controlled header fields, it writes beyond the intended buffer without verifying the destination remains within allocated memory.

Attack Vector

An attacker crafts a malicious Substance 3D project or asset file and delivers it to a target designer. When the file is opened in Substance 3D Designer 13.1.2 or earlier, the parser triggers the out-of-bounds write and executes attacker-supplied code with the current user's privileges. Refer to the Adobe Security Update APSB24-67 for vendor-supplied technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-41864

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by Substance 3D Designer.exe, particularly command shells, powershell.exe, or scripting hosts
Substance 3D Designer crashes correlated with recent opening of untrusted .sbs, .sbsar, or related asset files
Outbound network connections from the Substance 3D Designer process to previously unseen hosts
Unusual file writes into user profile directories immediately after opening a 3D asset

Detection Strategies

Monitor process lineage for Substance 3D Designer spawning interpreters or LOLBins that indicate post-exploitation activity
Alert on Substance 3D Designer memory violations and crash dumps generated by Windows Error Reporting or macOS CrashReporter
Inspect 3D asset files received from external sources with sandbox detonation before they reach designer workstations

Monitoring Recommendations

Track installed Substance 3D Designer versions across creative workstations and flag hosts running 13.1.2 or earlier
Log file opens for Substance 3D project files sourced from email, chat, or removable media
Correlate endpoint telemetry with mail gateway attachment metadata to identify targeted delivery attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-41864

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Adobe Substance 3D Designer to a version later than 13.1.2 as directed by Adobe Security Update APSB24-67
Inventory all Substance 3D Designer installations, including on contractor and freelance workstations
Restrict opening of Substance 3D asset files received from untrusted sources until patching is complete

Patch Information

Adobe addressed CVE-2024-41864 in Substance 3D Designer versions released after 13.1.2. The fixed builds are documented in advisory APSB24-67. Apply the update through the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or by downloading the standalone installer from the Adobe portal.

Workarounds

Only open Substance 3D asset files from trusted internal repositories or verified vendors
Enforce application allowlisting so that Substance 3D Designer cannot spawn shells or scripting interpreters
Run Substance 3D Designer under a standard user account without local administrator rights to limit post-exploitation impact

bash

# Query installed Substance 3D Designer version on Windows
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" /s /f "Substance 3D Designer"

# Query on macOS
mdls -name kMDItemVersion "/Applications/Adobe Substance 3D Designer/Adobe Substance 3D Designer.app"