CVE-2025-43546 Overview
CVE-2025-43546 is an integer underflow vulnerability [CWE-191] affecting Adobe Bridge versions 15.0.3, 14.1.6, and earlier. The flaw allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when a victim opens a malicious file. Exploitation requires user interaction, which limits remote attack scenarios but remains viable through phishing or supply chain delivery of crafted assets.
Adobe published the issue in security advisory APSB25-44 on May 13, 2025. The vulnerability affects Adobe Bridge installations on both Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS platforms.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants attackers arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running Adobe Bridge, enabling persistence, credential theft, and lateral movement.
Affected Products
- Adobe Bridge 15.0.3 and earlier (15.x branch)
- Adobe Bridge 14.1.6 and earlier (14.x branch)
- Adobe Bridge on Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-05-13 - Adobe publishes Security Advisory APSB25-44
- 2025-05-13 - CVE-2025-43546 published to NVD
- 2025-05-15 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-43546
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is an integer underflow, also known as wrap or wraparound [CWE-191]. Adobe Bridge performs arithmetic on an unsigned integer value during file parsing without validating that the operand exceeds the minuend. The subtraction wraps below zero and produces an extremely large unsigned value.
Downstream code uses this wrapped value as a size or index for memory operations. The result is out-of-bounds memory access or an undersized buffer allocation that an attacker can leverage to corrupt adjacent heap structures. Controlled corruption of function pointers or vtables enables arbitrary code execution in the Bridge process.
The attack requires local file access and user interaction. A victim must open a malicious file crafted to trigger the underflow condition.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing bounds validation on a length or offset field read from an untrusted file format. Adobe has not published exploitation specifics, but integer underflow patterns in Bridge typically occur during parsing of image metadata, thumbnail records, or camera raw structures. See the Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-44 for vendor details.
Attack Vector
An attacker delivers a malicious file to the target through email, shared storage, or a compromised asset repository. When the user opens the file in Adobe Bridge, the parser performs an arithmetic operation that underflows. The corrupted size value drives subsequent memory operations, and the attacker's embedded shellcode executes with the user's privileges.
The vulnerability does not require authentication on the network, but it does require local execution of Bridge against attacker-controlled content.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43546
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected child processes spawned by Bridge.exe (Windows) or Adobe Bridge (macOS), particularly shells, scripting hosts, or LOLBins
- Crash reports referencing Adobe Bridge with access violations during file parsing
- Adobe Bridge processes making outbound network connections to non-Adobe infrastructure
Detection Strategies
- Monitor process creation events where the parent image is Adobe Bridge and the child is cmd.exe, powershell.exe, wscript.exe, bash, or osascript
- Alert on Adobe Bridge writing executable content or scheduled task entries to disk
- Inspect file deliveries containing Bridge-supported formats from external senders, particularly camera raw, PSD, and metadata-rich images
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable endpoint telemetry for memory protection events such as DEP, CFG, and ASLR violations within Adobe Bridge
- Track Adobe Bridge version inventory across the fleet to confirm patch deployment
- Correlate Bridge crash dumps with file open events to identify exploitation attempts that fail before code execution
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43546
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Adobe Bridge to the fixed versions listed in Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-44
- Restrict opening of untrusted files in Adobe Bridge, especially those received via email or external file shares
- Run Adobe Bridge under standard user accounts rather than administrative accounts to limit blast radius
Patch Information
Adobe released fixes addressing CVE-2025-43546 in APSB25-44 on May 13, 2025. Administrators should consult the advisory for the exact fixed build numbers for both the 14.x and 15.x branches and deploy through the Creative Cloud desktop application or enterprise deployment tooling.
Workarounds
- Block delivery of high-risk file types at the email gateway when Bridge is not required for the recipient role
- Apply application control policies that prevent Adobe Bridge from launching child processes such as command interpreters and scripting hosts
- Use file reputation and sandboxing controls to inspect creative assets sourced from external partners before they reach analyst workstations
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
