CVE-2025-30322: Adobe Substance 3D Painter RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-30322 Overview

CVE-2025-30322 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability [CWE-787] affecting Adobe Substance 3D Painter versions 11.0 and earlier. The flaw can lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction, as a victim must open a malicious file crafted by an attacker.

Adobe addressed the vulnerability in the Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-38. The issue was published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) on May 13, 2025.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the logged-in user, enabling local compromise of artist and design workstations.

Affected Products

Adobe Substance 3D Painter 11.0
Adobe Substance 3D Painter versions prior to 11.0
Windows and macOS installations of the affected versions

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-13 - CVE-2025-30322 published to NVD
2025-05-13 - Adobe publishes Security Advisory APSB25-38
2025-05-19 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-30322

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is classified as an out-of-bounds write [CWE-787]. Substance 3D Painter writes data past the bounds of an allocated memory buffer when processing a crafted project or asset file. The write operation corrupts adjacent memory structures, which an attacker can leverage to redirect execution flow.

Because Substance 3D Painter runs natively on user workstations, successful exploitation executes attacker-controlled code under the active user account. This gives the attacker the same file access, network access, and permission level as the targeted artist or designer.

The attack vector is local and requires user interaction. An attacker must deliver a malicious file and convince the victim to open it inside Substance 3D Painter. No elevated privileges are required to trigger the condition.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper validation of input data sizes or offsets during the parsing of Substance 3D Painter file formats. When the application copies parsed data into a fixed-size buffer, it fails to verify that the destination has sufficient capacity. The resulting out-of-bounds write overwrites adjacent heap or stack memory, including control structures such as function pointers or return addresses.

Attack Vector

An attacker crafts a malicious Substance 3D Painter project, texture, or asset file and distributes it through phishing, file-sharing platforms, marketplaces for 3D assets, or compromised collaboration channels. When the victim opens the file, the parser triggers the out-of-bounds write and executes the embedded payload. Adobe's advisory does not list a public proof-of-concept, and the vulnerability is not present in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

No verified exploitation code is publicly available. Refer to the Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-38 for vendor-supplied technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-30322

Indicators of Compromise

Substance 3D Painter process (Adobe Substance 3D Painter.exe on Windows) spawning unexpected child processes such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or shell interpreters
Unsigned binaries or scripts written to user-writable paths shortly after a project or asset file is opened in Substance 3D Painter
Outbound network connections initiated by the Substance 3D Painter process to untrusted hosts
Crash events or unexpected termination of Substance 3D Painter when opening third-party asset files

Detection Strategies

Monitor process lineage on creative workstations to identify Substance 3D Painter spawning interpreters or LOLBins
Alert on file writes to autostart locations, scheduled task creation, or registry Run keys initiated by the application
Inspect inbound 3D asset files received over email or collaboration platforms and detonate suspicious samples in a sandbox

Monitoring Recommendations

Collect endpoint telemetry covering process creation, image loads, and file modifications from designer and artist endpoints
Track installed versions of Adobe Substance 3D Painter across the fleet and flag hosts still running 11.0 or earlier
Correlate user-opened file events with subsequent network or process activity to surface exploitation chains

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-30322

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe Substance 3D Painter to the fixed version listed in Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-38
Inventory all endpoints running Substance 3D Painter and prioritize patching workstations used by users with elevated access to source assets or internal systems
Restrict opening of untrusted .spp, texture, or third-party asset files until patches are applied

Patch Information

Adobe released a security update for Substance 3D Painter that resolves CVE-2025-30322. Administrators should consult Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-38 for the exact fixed version and installer download links. Deploy the patch through Adobe Creative Cloud or your standard software distribution process.

Workarounds

Treat 3D asset files from external marketplaces, contractors, or unsolicited sources as untrusted and validate them before opening
Run Substance 3D Painter under a standard user account without administrative privileges to limit the impact of successful exploitation
Apply application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized child processes from being launched by the Substance 3D Painter executable