CVE-2025-14401 Overview
CVE-2025-14401 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in PDFsam Enhanced that enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations. The flaw resides in the handling of App objects, where the application fails to properly validate user-supplied data before processing. This missing validation allows a read past the end of an allocated buffer, which attackers can leverage to execute code in the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction: the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The issue was reported through the Zero Day Initiative as ZDI-CAN-27260 and tracked as ZDI-25-1089.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the host.
Affected Products
- PDFsam Enhanced 7.0.76.15222
- Windows installations of PDFsam Enhanced processing untrusted PDF files
- Environments where users open PDF documents from external sources
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-12-23 - CVE-2025-14401 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-14401
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is classified as an out-of-bounds read [CWE-125] within PDFsam Enhanced's parsing of App objects. When the application processes a crafted App object embedded in a PDF, it reads memory beyond the boundaries of an allocated buffer. Attackers can chain this primitive with additional techniques to achieve arbitrary code execution in the current process context. Because the vulnerability produces high impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, a single crafted file can fully compromise the user's session on the host.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of proper bounds validation on user-supplied data used when handling App objects. PDFsam Enhanced accepts field values from the PDF stream without verifying that offsets and lengths remain within the allocated buffer. This lack of validation permits the parser to dereference memory beyond the intended object structure, leaking sensitive process memory or enabling controlled reads that support exploitation.
Attack Vector
Exploitation is local and requires user interaction. An attacker delivers a malicious PDF through phishing, drive-by download, or a compromised web page, then relies on the victim to open the file with PDFsam Enhanced. Once opened, the crafted App object triggers the out-of-bounds read during parsing. Attackers commonly combine this read primitive with other memory disclosures or corruption bugs to bypass ASLR and execute arbitrary code. See the Zero Day Initiative Advisory ZDI-25-1089 for additional technical detail. No public proof-of-concept code is currently available.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-14401
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected PDFsam Enhanced process crashes or access violations in Windows Event Logs referencing the parser module.
- Child processes spawned by PDFsam Enhanced such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or other scripting hosts.
- PDF files with anomalous App object structures received via email attachments or web downloads.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor endpoint telemetry for PDFsam Enhanced spawning uncommon child processes or performing network connections.
- Inspect PDF attachments at the mail gateway for malformed or unusually structured App object dictionaries.
- Correlate crash telemetry from PDFsam Enhanced with subsequent process creation events indicating post-exploitation activity.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable process creation and image load auditing on hosts where PDFsam Enhanced is installed.
- Alert on file write operations by PDFsam Enhanced to autorun paths, Startup folders, or scheduled task locations.
- Track outbound network connections initiated by PDFsam Enhanced, which are atypical for a PDF utility.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-14401
Immediate Actions Required
- Inventory all hosts running PDFsam Enhanced version 7.0.76.15222 and prioritize them for remediation.
- Instruct users to avoid opening PDF files from untrusted or unverified sources until a patch is applied.
- Restrict PDFsam Enhanced usage to standard user accounts to limit the impact of exploitation.
Patch Information
At the time of publication, no vendor advisory URL is available in the NVD entry. Administrators should consult the PDFsam website and the Zero Day Initiative Advisory ZDI-25-1089 for updated fix availability, and upgrade to a version later than 7.0.76.15222 once released.
Workarounds
- Configure a default PDF handler other than PDFsam Enhanced for files originating from email or web downloads.
- Apply application allowlisting to prevent PDFsam Enhanced from launching child processes such as shells or scripting engines.
- Use attachment filtering at the mail gateway to block or sandbox PDF files from external senders while the patch is pending.
# Configuration example: block PDFsam Enhanced from spawning shells via Windows Defender Application Control
# Example WDAC rule fragment (pseudocode)
Deny: FilePublisher
Parent: pdfsam-enhanced.exe
Child: cmd.exe, powershell.exe, wscript.exe, cscript.exe
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
