CVE-2025-27160: Adobe Acrobat RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-27160 Overview

CVE-2025-27160 is a Use After Free vulnerability affecting Adobe Acrobat Reader that could allow arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. This memory corruption flaw exists in multiple versions of Adobe's PDF software across both Windows and macOS platforms. Exploitation requires user interaction—specifically, the victim must open a malicious PDF file crafted by an attacker.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or malware installation.

Affected Products

• Adobe Acrobat (Classic track) versions prior to fixed release
• Adobe Acrobat DC (Continuous track) versions 25.001.20428 and earlier
• Adobe Acrobat Reader (Classic track) versions 24.001.30225, 20.005.30748 and earlier
• Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (Continuous track) versions 25.001.20428 and earlier
• Affected on Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS platforms

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-03-11 - CVE-2025-27160 published to NVD
• 2025-04-28 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-27160

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-416: Use After Free. Use After Free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to use a pointer after the memory it references has been freed. In the context of Adobe Acrobat Reader, this type of flaw can be triggered when processing specially crafted PDF documents that manipulate memory allocation and deallocation sequences.

When a user opens a malicious PDF file, the attacker can exploit this vulnerability to corrupt memory structures, potentially overwriting function pointers or other critical data. This memory corruption can be leveraged to redirect program execution to attacker-controlled code, resulting in arbitrary code execution within the user's security context.

Root Cause

The vulnerability stems from improper memory management within Adobe Acrobat Reader's PDF parsing and rendering engine. When certain PDF elements are processed, the application fails to properly track memory lifecycle, resulting in a dangling pointer that references freed memory. Subsequent access to this freed memory region can lead to exploitation if an attacker can control the contents of the reallocated memory space.

Attack Vector

This vulnerability requires local access and user interaction for exploitation. The attack vector involves:

1. Document Crafting: An attacker creates a malicious PDF file containing elements designed to trigger the Use After Free condition
2. Delivery: The malicious PDF is delivered to the victim via email attachment, web download, or file sharing platforms
3. Execution: When the victim opens the PDF in a vulnerable version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, the vulnerability is triggered
4. Code Execution: The attacker gains code execution with the same privileges as the user running Acrobat Reader

The local attack vector with required user interaction means exploitation typically involves social engineering to convince victims to open the malicious document. However, this can be combined with other attack techniques such as phishing campaigns or watering hole attacks for broader targeting.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-27160

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual Adobe Acrobat Reader crashes or unexpected termination when opening PDF files
• Suspicious PDF files with abnormal structure or obfuscated JavaScript content
• Unexpected child processes spawned by AcroRd32.exe or Acrobat.exe
• Memory access violations or exceptions logged in Windows Event logs related to Adobe processes

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for abnormal process behavior from Adobe Acrobat Reader, including unexpected network connections or file system modifications
• Deploy endpoint detection rules to identify exploitation attempts targeting PDF reader applications
• Implement sandboxed PDF viewing environments to isolate potential exploitation attempts
• Use behavioral analysis to detect memory corruption exploitation patterns in PDF applications

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable enhanced logging for Adobe Acrobat Reader process activity
• Monitor for suspicious PDF file downloads or email attachments in enterprise environments
• Implement network-level inspection for malicious PDF content at email gateways and web proxies
• Configure SentinelOne agents to alert on behavioral anomalies related to document reader applications

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-27160

Immediate Actions Required

• Update all Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader installations to the latest patched versions immediately
• Enable Protected View mode in Adobe Acrobat Reader to sandbox PDF rendering
• Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution from document readers
• Educate users about the risks of opening PDF files from untrusted sources

Patch Information

Adobe has released security updates addressing this vulnerability as documented in Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-14. Organizations should apply these updates through their standard patch management processes. For enterprise deployments, Adobe provides administrative tools for centralized update management.

The following versions contain the fix:

• Acrobat DC and Acrobat Reader DC (Continuous track): Update to version 25.001.20432 or later
• Acrobat 2024 and Acrobat Reader 2024 (Classic track): Update to version 24.001.30235 or later
• Acrobat 2020 and Acrobat Reader 2020 (Classic track): Update to version 20.005.30763 or later

Workarounds

• Enable Protected View for all files in Adobe Acrobat Reader preferences under Edit > Preferences > Security (Enhanced)
• Disable JavaScript execution in PDF documents via Edit > Preferences > JavaScript to reduce attack surface
• Use alternative PDF readers in sandboxed environments for documents from untrusted sources
• Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential compromises from user workstations

# Registry configuration to enable Protected View on Windows
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\TrustManager" /v bProtectedMode /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

# Disable JavaScript in Acrobat Reader via registry
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\JSPrefs" /v bEnableJS /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f