CVE-2025-47873: Canva Affinity Information Disclosure

CVE-2025-47873 Overview

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the EMF (Enhanced Metafile) functionality of Canva Affinity. By using a specially crafted EMF file, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to perform an out-of-bounds read, potentially leading to the disclosure of sensitive information. This memory corruption flaw allows attackers to read data beyond the intended buffer boundaries when processing malicious EMF image files.

Critical Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability could allow attackers to access sensitive information stored in memory, potentially exposing confidential data, application secrets, or memory layout information that could facilitate further attacks.

Affected Products

• Canva Affinity (Windows)
• Canva Affinity versions with EMF file processing functionality

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-17 - CVE-2025-47873 published to NVD
• 2026-03-19 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-47873

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read), a memory corruption flaw where the application reads data past the end or before the beginning of an intended buffer. In the context of Canva Affinity's EMF processing functionality, the application fails to properly validate boundaries when parsing EMF file structures, allowing an attacker to craft a malicious file that triggers reads beyond allocated memory regions.

The attack requires local access and user interaction—specifically, the victim must open a maliciously crafted EMF file. Upon successful exploitation, an attacker gains the ability to read sensitive information from memory (high confidentiality impact) and potentially cause the application to crash (high availability impact). However, the vulnerability does not allow modification of data (no integrity impact).

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in improper bounds checking within the EMF file parsing routines of Canva Affinity. When processing certain EMF structures, the application trusts attacker-controlled length or offset values without adequate validation, allowing reads to extend beyond the allocated buffer. EMF files contain complex record structures with variable-length fields, and failing to validate these fields against actual buffer sizes creates the opportunity for out-of-bounds memory access.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring an attacker to deliver a specially crafted EMF file to the victim. This could be accomplished through various social engineering methods such as:

• Email attachments containing malicious EMF files
• Downloads from compromised or malicious websites
• File sharing through collaboration platforms
• Embedded EMF content within other document formats

Once the victim opens the malicious EMF file in Canva Affinity, the vulnerability is triggered during the file parsing process. The attacker does not require any privileges on the target system, but user interaction is necessary to open the malicious file.

The vulnerability mechanism involves the EMF parser reading attacker-specified offsets or lengths from the file format without proper boundary validation. When these values exceed the actual data buffer size, the application reads from adjacent memory regions, potentially exposing sensitive information such as heap contents, stack data, or other application memory. For detailed technical information, see the Talos Intelligence Vulnerability Report.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-47873

Indicators of Compromise

• Presence of unusually structured EMF files with malformed record headers or invalid length fields
• Application crashes or unexpected termination of Canva Affinity when opening EMF files
• Anomalous memory access patterns in Canva Affinity process logs
• EMF files with record sizes that exceed typical valid ranges

Detection Strategies

• Deploy file integrity monitoring to detect suspicious EMF files with anomalous structures
• Implement endpoint detection rules to monitor for Canva Affinity crashes associated with EMF file operations
• Use memory protection mechanisms to detect out-of-bounds read attempts
• Monitor for unusual network activity following EMF file access that could indicate data exfiltration

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for file operations within Canva Affinity where available
• Deploy application-level monitoring to track EMF file processing events
• Implement behavioral analysis to detect anomalous application behavior during file parsing
• Configure crash dump collection to analyze exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-47873

Immediate Actions Required

• Review the Canva Trust Security Advisory for official guidance and patches
• Update Canva Affinity to the latest available version that addresses this vulnerability
• Educate users about the risks of opening untrusted EMF files from unknown sources
• Consider temporarily restricting EMF file access until patches are applied

Patch Information

Canva has released information regarding this vulnerability through their official trust center. Administrators should consult the Canva Trust Resource for specific patch details and updated software versions. Organizations should prioritize applying the vendor-provided security update to all systems running Canva Affinity.

Workarounds

• Block or quarantine EMF files from untrusted sources at the email gateway and web proxy level
• Implement application allowlisting to restrict execution of Canva Affinity in high-security environments until patched
• Configure endpoint protection to scan and analyze EMF files before allowing access
• Disable automatic file preview features that may trigger EMF parsing

# Example: Block EMF file extensions at email gateway (syntax varies by product)
# Add .emf to blocked attachment types in your email security configuration
# Review and update file type policies to restrict EMF processing