CVE-2024-49517: Adobe Substance 3D Painter RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-49517 Overview

CVE-2024-49517 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Substance 3D Painter versions 10.1.0 and earlier. Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. The flaw requires user interaction, as a victim must open a malicious file crafted by the attacker. Adobe addressed the issue in security bulletin APSB24-86. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) and CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write).

Critical Impact
Arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when a victim opens a malicious 3D project or asset file in Substance 3D Painter.

Affected Products

Adobe Substance 3D Painter 10.1.0
Adobe Substance 3D Painter prior to 10.1.0
Windows and macOS installations of the affected versions

Discovery Timeline

2024-11-12 - CVE-2024-49517 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-49517

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2024-49517 is a heap-based buffer overflow in Adobe Substance 3D Painter, a 3D texturing and asset authoring application. The flaw resides in file parsing logic that handles untrusted project or asset files. When Substance 3D Painter processes a malformed file, the application writes data past the boundary of a heap-allocated buffer.

The out-of-bounds write corrupts adjacent heap memory, including object metadata and function pointers. An attacker who controls the overflow content can steer execution flow and run arbitrary code with the privileges of the user opening the file. Because Substance 3D Painter typically runs interactively on artist workstations, code execution occurs in a user session that often has access to source assets, credentials, and cloud project storage.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incorrect length validation while copying attacker-controlled data into a fixed-size heap allocation. Adobe's advisory categorizes the defect under both CWE-122 and CWE-787, consistent with a size or index calculation error during deserialization of a proprietary file format. Adobe has not published root-cause specifics beyond the advisory in APSB24-86.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is local and requires user interaction. An attacker delivers a malicious Substance 3D Painter project file, texture, or supported asset via phishing, a compromised asset marketplace, or a shared project repository. When the victim opens the file, the parser triggers the heap overflow and executes the attacker's payload. No prior authentication to the target system is required beyond the victim's own session.

No public proof-of-concept exploit or exploitation in the wild has been reported. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The current EPSS probability is 0.328%.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-49517

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by Adobe Substance 3D Painter.exe or the macOS equivalent, especially command interpreters such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or /bin/sh.
Crashes or unusual memory faults in Substance 3D Painter shortly after opening a project or asset file received from an external source.
Substance 3D Painter processes writing executables, scripts, or scheduled task artifacts to user-writable directories.
Outbound network connections initiated by the Substance 3D Painter process to unfamiliar hosts following file open events.

Detection Strategies

Monitor process lineage for the Substance 3D Painter binary and alert when it spawns interactive shells, scripting engines, or LOLBins.
Alert on file writes by the Substance 3D Painter process outside its normal project directories, particularly to Startup, Run keys, or launch agent paths.
Correlate application crash telemetry with subsequent anomalous process or network activity on the same host.

Monitoring Recommendations

Inventory installed versions of Adobe Substance 3D Painter across creative workstations and flag any instance at 10.1.0 or earlier.
Log and review inbound project files delivered via email, shared drives, or asset marketplaces before artists open them.
Track EDR telemetry for memory-corruption indicators such as heap corruption exceptions raised by the Substance 3D Painter process.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-49517

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Adobe Substance 3D Painter to the fixed version identified in APSB24-86 on all affected workstations.
Instruct users to avoid opening Substance 3D Painter project files, textures, or assets received from untrusted or unverified sources.
Prioritize patching for artists whose workstations hold source assets, signing keys, or access to shared cloud project storage.

Patch Information

Adobe released a fixed version of Substance 3D Painter alongside the APSB24-86 security bulletin. Administrators should deploy the update through the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or managed software distribution channels. Verify installed builds after deployment to confirm systems no longer report version 10.1.0 or earlier.

Workarounds

Restrict Substance 3D Painter execution to standard user accounts to limit the impact of code execution to the user context.
Apply application allowlisting to prevent Substance 3D Painter from launching child processes such as shells or scripting hosts.
Route incoming asset files through a segmented review environment before opening them on production workstations.

bash

# Example: enumerate Substance 3D Painter versions on Windows endpoints via PowerShell
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" |
  Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Substance 3D Painter*" } |
  Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation