CVE-2025-21162: Photoshop Elements Privilege Escalation

CVE-2025-21162 Overview

CVE-2025-21162 is a Creation of Temporary File in Directory with Incorrect Permissions vulnerability (CWE-379) affecting Adobe Photoshop Elements. This flaw allows attackers to achieve privilege escalation in the context of the current user by exploiting insecure temporary file handling. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, specifically that a victim must open a malicious file crafted by the attacker.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation enables privilege escalation through manipulation of temporary files with incorrect permissions, potentially allowing attackers to write arbitrary data or escalate privileges within the user's security context.

Affected Products

• Adobe Photoshop Elements 2025.0 and earlier versions
• Apple macOS (as the affected operating system platform)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-02-11 - CVE-2025-21162 published to NVD
• 2025-07-25 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-21162

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper handling of temporary files within Adobe Photoshop Elements. When the application creates temporary files during normal operations, it fails to set appropriate file permissions on the created files or the directories where they reside. This oversight creates a window of opportunity for local attackers to exploit the insecure temporary file handling.

The local attack vector requires an attacker to either have existing access to the system or to convince a user to open a malicious file. Once the vulnerability is triggered, the attacker can potentially manipulate the temporary files to achieve privilege escalation within the current user's context. The vulnerability primarily impacts system integrity, allowing unauthorized modification of data without affecting confidentiality or availability.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in the application's failure to properly secure temporary files during creation. When Photoshop Elements generates temporary files as part of its normal processing workflow, it does not apply restrictive permissions to these files. This violates secure coding practices that mandate temporary files should be created with permissions that prevent unauthorized access or modification by other processes or users on the system.

CWE-379 (Creation of Temporary File in Directory with Incorrect Permissions) describes this exact pattern where software creates a temporary file in a directory with incorrect permissions, which can allow malicious users to access or modify the file during the time window between creation and use.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access and user interaction. An attacker must craft a malicious file that, when opened by the victim in Photoshop Elements, triggers the insecure temporary file creation behavior. The attack scenario typically involves:

1. Attacker creates a specially crafted image or project file
2. Attacker delivers the malicious file to the victim (via email, file share, or other means)
3. Victim opens the file using Adobe Photoshop Elements
4. The application creates temporary files with incorrect permissions
5. Attacker exploits the insecure temporary files to escalate privileges

The vulnerability exploits a race condition or symlink attack opportunity during the temporary file creation process, allowing the attacker to redirect writes or gain elevated access. Technical details regarding the specific exploitation mechanism can be found in the Adobe Photoshop Elements Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-21162

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual temporary file creation patterns in system temp directories associated with Photoshop Elements processes
• Unexpected symbolic links appearing in temporary directories targeting sensitive system files
• Photoshop Elements creating files in non-standard temporary locations
• Suspicious file permission changes on temporary files created by AdobePhotoshopElements processes

Detection Strategies

• Monitor file system events for temporary file creation by Photoshop Elements with overly permissive permissions (e.g., world-writable)
• Implement endpoint detection rules to identify symbolic link creation in temporary directories coinciding with Photoshop Elements execution
• Use application control policies to detect and alert on Photoshop Elements versions prior to the patched release
• Deploy integrity monitoring on critical system directories that may be targeted through temporary file manipulation

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed file system auditing on temporary directories used by Adobe applications
• Configure SIEM rules to correlate Photoshop Elements process execution with suspicious file system activities
• Implement behavioral analysis to detect privilege escalation attempts following Photoshop Elements file operations
• Monitor for unusual process ancestry chains involving Photoshop Elements spawning privileged processes

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-21162

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Adobe Photoshop Elements to the latest patched version as recommended by Adobe
• Review and restrict permissions on system temporary directories to limit exploitation potential
• Educate users about the risks of opening untrusted image or project files
• Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized software that might exploit this vulnerability

Patch Information

Adobe has released security bulletin APSB25-13 addressing this vulnerability. Organizations should apply the latest updates from Adobe as soon as possible. The official security advisory is available at the Adobe Photoshop Elements Security Advisory.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to temporary directories used by Photoshop Elements by applying more restrictive ACLs
• Implement strict file type filtering to prevent opening of untrusted or unexpected file formats
• Run Photoshop Elements in a sandboxed environment to limit the impact of potential exploitation
• Disable or restrict network access to systems running vulnerable versions of Photoshop Elements

# Configuration example - Restrict temporary directory permissions on macOS
# Limit access to the Adobe temporary directory
chmod 700 ~/Library/Caches/Adobe/
chmod 700 /private/var/folders/*/*/com.adobe.*

# Monitor for suspicious temporary file activity
log stream --predicate 'processImagePath CONTAINS "Photoshop Elements" AND eventMessage CONTAINS "tmp"'