CVE-2025-47134 Overview
CVE-2025-47134 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability [CWE-122] in Adobe InDesign Desktop. The flaw affects InDesign Desktop versions 19.5.3 and earlier across both Windows and macOS platforms. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction, specifically opening a malicious InDesign file crafted by an attacker. Adobe published a security advisory and corresponding patches under bulletin APSB25-60. The vulnerability carries no known in-the-wild exploitation and is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Critical Impact
Opening a malicious InDesign document can trigger heap corruption and lead to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the logged-on user.
Affected Products
- Adobe InDesign Desktop 19.5.3 and earlier
- Microsoft Windows installations of Adobe InDesign
- Apple macOS installations of Adobe InDesign
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-07-08 - CVE-2025-47134 published to the National Vulnerability Database
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-47134
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow [CWE-122] within Adobe InDesign Desktop's file parsing logic. When InDesign processes a crafted document, the application writes data beyond the bounds of an allocated heap buffer. This out-of-bounds write corrupts adjacent heap metadata or object pointers within the process address space. An attacker who controls the overflowing data can influence program control flow and achieve arbitrary code execution. Execution occurs in the security context of the user running InDesign, which on typical workstations includes access to user files, network shares, and authentication tokens.
Root Cause
The root cause is insufficient bounds checking during the parsing of structured data within an InDesign document. The application allocates a fixed-size heap buffer and subsequently copies attacker-controlled data into that buffer without validating the source length against the destination capacity. The resulting overflow corrupts heap structures used by the runtime allocator and adjacent in-memory objects.
Attack Vector
The attack requires local user interaction. An attacker delivers a malicious .indd file through email, a shared file location, or a web download. When the victim opens the document in a vulnerable InDesign version, the parser triggers the overflow during file ingestion. No elevated privileges are required for the attacker, and the resulting code executes with the same privileges as the victim.
No public proof-of-concept code is available for CVE-2025-47134. Refer to the Adobe InDesign Security Advisory APSB25-60 for vendor-provided technical context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47134
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected child processes spawned by InDesign.exe on Windows or Adobe InDesign on macOS, such as command shells, scripting hosts, or rundll32.exe.
- InDesign process crashes accompanied by access violations or heap corruption entries in Windows Event Logs or macOS crash reports.
- Inbound .indd, .indt, or .idml files arriving from untrusted external sources immediately preceding suspicious endpoint activity.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor process lineage for InDesign spawning interpreters (powershell.exe, cmd.exe, wscript.exe, bash, osascript) which is anomalous for a design application.
- Inspect endpoint telemetry for memory protection events, exception handler abuse, or DEP/ASLR bypass attempts originating from the InDesign process.
- Hunt for file writes by InDesign into autorun locations, scheduled task directories, or user startup folders.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Ingest endpoint process, file, and network telemetry into a centralized SIEM or data lake and apply behavioral rules targeting Office and creative-suite parent-child anomalies.
- Alert on outbound network connections initiated by InDesign.exe to non-Adobe domains, which can indicate post-exploitation command-and-control.
- Track InDesign version inventory across the fleet to detect hosts running 19.5.3 or earlier.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47134
Immediate Actions Required
- Update Adobe InDesign Desktop to the patched version specified in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-60 on all Windows and macOS systems.
- Inventory endpoints running InDesign 19.5.3 or earlier and prioritize them for remediation.
- Instruct users to refuse InDesign files received from untrusted senders or external sources until patching is complete.
Patch Information
Adobe released fixed builds for Adobe InDesign Desktop in security bulletin APSB25-60. Apply the vendor update through the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop client or by downloading the updated installer directly from Adobe. See the Adobe InDesign Security Advisory for exact fixed version numbers and download locations.
Workarounds
- Restrict InDesign file handling to trusted internal sources by blocking .indd, .indt, and .idml attachments at the email gateway.
- Run InDesign under standard user accounts without administrative privileges to limit the impact of successful exploitation.
- Apply application allowlisting to prevent InDesign from launching scripting interpreters or unsigned binaries.
# Example: query installed InDesign version on macOS
/usr/bin/mdls -name kMDItemVersion "/Applications/Adobe InDesign 2024/Adobe InDesign 2024.app"
# Example: query installed InDesign version on Windows (PowerShell)
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" |
Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*InDesign*" } |
Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
