CVE-2024-49519: Adobe Substance 3D Painter RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-49519 Overview

CVE-2024-49519 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability [CWE-787] affecting Adobe Substance 3D Painter versions 10.1.0 and earlier. The flaw allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when a victim opens a malicious file. Adobe published the security advisory APSB24-86 addressing this issue along with related vulnerabilities in the product.

Exploitation requires user interaction, limiting the vulnerability to attack scenarios involving social engineering or malicious asset distribution. The attack vector is local, and no known exploitation activity has been reported. Adobe assigned the vulnerability a CVSS score of 7.8.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running Substance 3D Painter, enabling malware installation, data theft, or lateral movement.

Affected Products

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

Discovery Timeline

2024-11-12 - CVE-2024-49519 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-49519

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write [CWE-787] within Adobe Substance 3D Painter's file parsing logic. When the application processes a specially crafted project or asset file, it writes data past the boundaries of an allocated buffer. This memory corruption can be leveraged to overwrite adjacent memory structures, including function pointers or return addresses.

Adobe's advisory APSB24-86 classifies the impact as arbitrary code execution. The code executes with the privileges of the logged-in user, allowing an attacker to run commands, install persistence mechanisms, or exfiltrate data. Confidentiality, integrity, and availability are all rated High in the CVSS vector.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient bounds validation when parsing untrusted file input. Substance 3D Painter reads structured data from project files and imported assets without adequately verifying that field sizes or offsets fit within allocated buffers. Adobe did not publish the specific file format or parser component involved in the public advisory.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an attacker to deliver a malicious file to a victim and convince them to open it in Substance 3D Painter. Common delivery methods include email attachments, compromised asset marketplaces, and shared project repositories. Once the file is opened, the parser performs the out-of-bounds write and transfers execution to attacker-controlled data.

See the Adobe Security Advisory APSB24-86 for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-49519

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by Adobe Substance 3D Painter.exe such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or bash.
Substance 3D Painter crashes or unusual termination correlated with opening third-party project or asset files.
Network connections initiated by the Substance 3D Painter process to unfamiliar external hosts.
Suspicious project files (.spp, .sbs, .sbsar) received from untrusted sources or downloaded from unverified marketplaces.

Detection Strategies

Monitor process creation events where Substance 3D Painter is the parent process and correlate with file open events.
Deploy behavioral detection rules that flag memory corruption indicators such as abnormal process crashes followed by shellcode-like activity.
Alert on writes to autorun locations or scheduled task creation by Adobe creative applications.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable endpoint telemetry on developer and creative workstations that run Substance 3D Painter.
Track file downloads of .spp, .sbs, and .sbsar extensions from external sources through web and email gateways.
Review installed versions of Substance 3D Painter across the fleet and flag any instance at 10.1.0 or earlier.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-49519

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Adobe Substance 3D Painter to the fixed release identified in APSB24-86 on all affected workstations.
Instruct users to open Substance 3D Painter project files only from trusted sources.
Audit endpoints to identify installations at version 10.1.0 or earlier and prioritize them for patching.

Patch Information

Adobe released a fixed version of Substance 3D Painter in security advisory APSB24-86. Refer to the Adobe Security Advisory APSB24-86 for exact fixed version numbers and download links. Adobe recommends updating through the Creative Cloud desktop application.

Workarounds

Restrict opening of Substance 3D Painter files to those originating from verified internal or vendor sources until patching is complete.
Run Substance 3D Painter under standard user accounts rather than administrative accounts to limit the impact of successful exploitation.
Use application allowlisting to prevent Substance 3D Painter from spawning shell interpreters or scripting hosts.

bash

# Verify installed Substance 3D Painter version on Windows via PowerShell
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" |
  Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Substance 3D Painter*" } |
  Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, Publisher