CVE-2025-43589: Adobe InDesign RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-43589 Overview

CVE-2025-43589 is a Use After Free vulnerability [CWE-416] affecting Adobe InDesign Desktop versions ID20.2, ID19.5.3, and earlier. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The flaw requires user interaction, as a victim must open a malicious InDesign file to trigger the condition. Adobe published the corresponding security advisory on APSB25-53.

Critical Impact
An attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution under the privileges of the logged-in user by delivering a crafted InDesign document.

Affected Products

Adobe InDesign Desktop ID20.2 and earlier
Adobe InDesign Desktop ID19.5.3 and earlier
Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS hosts running affected InDesign versions

Discovery Timeline

2025-06-10 - CVE-2025-43589 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-43589

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a Use After Free condition in Adobe InDesign Desktop file parsing logic. The application references a heap object after that object has already been freed. An attacker who controls the contents of an InDesign document can manipulate the layout of freed memory and influence the dangling pointer dereference.

When the freed allocation is replaced with attacker-controlled data, the application operates on corrupted object state. This corruption can be steered toward control-flow hijack, ultimately enabling arbitrary code execution. The attack vector is local and requires user interaction, but no privileges are needed before opening the file.

The execution context inherits the privileges of the user running InDesign. On workstations where designers operate with elevated local rights, the resulting code execution can support follow-on actions such as credential theft, persistence, or lateral movement.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper object lifetime management within InDesign's document processing routines. A reference to a freed allocation remains accessible to subsequent code paths, violating the safety invariants expected by Adobe's parser. Use After Free defects in document handlers commonly arise from premature destructor calls, mismatched reference counting, or error paths that release resources without nulling pointers.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires social engineering. The attacker distributes a malicious .indd or related InDesign file through email, file sharing, or compromised collaboration platforms. When the victim opens the file in a vulnerable InDesign build, the parser triggers the Use After Free, and the embedded exploit payload runs as the current user. Refer to the Adobe InDesign Security Advisory (APSB25-53) for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-43589

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by InDesign.exe such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or bash
InDesign process crashes or abnormal termination shortly after opening a document received from an external source
InDesign documents arriving from untrusted email senders or external file shares with macro-style payloads or unusual embedded objects

Detection Strategies

Monitor process lineage for InDesign spawning interpreters, scripting hosts, or network utilities
Inspect crash telemetry from Windows Error Reporting or macOS CrashReporter for repeated InDesign faults referencing heap corruption
Alert on InDesign making outbound network connections to non-Adobe destinations following document open events

Monitoring Recommendations

Centralize endpoint telemetry from designer workstations into a SIEM or data lake for behavioral correlation
Track file-open events for InDesign documents originating outside trusted repositories
Review EDR detections mapped to MITRE ATT&CK techniques T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1204.002 (User Execution: Malicious File)

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-43589

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe InDesign Desktop to the fixed versions listed in Adobe security bulletin APSB25-53
Inventory all macOS and Windows endpoints running InDesign and prioritize patching of versions ID20.2, ID19.5.3, and earlier
Instruct users to avoid opening InDesign files from untrusted sources until patches are applied

Patch Information

Adobe addressed CVE-2025-43589 in the security update documented in the Adobe InDesign Security Advisory (APSB25-53). Administrators should deploy the vendor-supplied updated builds through the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop application or enterprise deployment tooling.

Workarounds

Restrict InDesign document handling to files received through trusted internal channels until patching is complete
Run InDesign under standard user accounts rather than administrative accounts to limit post-exploitation impact
Apply application control policies that prevent InDesign from launching command interpreters or scripting hosts

bash

# Verify installed Adobe InDesign version on macOS
defaults read "/Applications/Adobe InDesign 2025/Adobe InDesign 2025.app/Contents/Info.plist" CFBundleShortVersionString

# Verify installed Adobe InDesign version on Windows (PowerShell)
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" |
  Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*InDesign*" } |
  Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion