CVE-2025-49531: Adobe Illustrator RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-49531 Overview

CVE-2025-49531 is an integer overflow or wraparound vulnerability [CWE-190] affecting Adobe Illustrator on Windows and macOS. The flaw exists in Illustrator versions 28.7.6, 29.5.1, and earlier. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The attack vector is local and requires user interaction: a victim must open a malicious file crafted by the attacker. Adobe published a security advisory (APSB25-65) addressing the issue.

Critical Impact
An attacker who convinces a user to open a crafted Illustrator file can execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the logged-in user, leading to full compromise of user data and installed applications.

Affected Products

Adobe Illustrator 28.7.6 and earlier (2024 release branch)
Adobe Illustrator 29.5.1 and earlier (2025 release branch)
Adobe Illustrator installations on Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS

Discovery Timeline

2025-07-08 - CVE-2025-49531 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2025-07-08 - Adobe publishes security advisory APSB25-65 with patched versions
2025-07-10 - Last updated in the NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-49531

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is classified as an Integer Overflow or Wraparound condition [CWE-190] inside Adobe Illustrator's file parsing logic. When Illustrator processes a malformed input file, an arithmetic operation on a size, offset, or counter value exceeds the range of its integer type and wraps around. The wrapped value is then used to allocate or index into a memory buffer, producing an undersized allocation or an out-of-bounds access. An attacker controls the values feeding the calculation, allowing them to corrupt adjacent memory and steer execution into attacker-supplied content. The result is arbitrary code execution in the context of the user running Illustrator.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incorrect validation of size-related fields parsed from an Illustrator-compatible file format. Without bounds checking before the arithmetic operation, the calculation overflows the underlying integer type and produces a value that downstream allocation or copy routines treat as legitimate.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access with user interaction. The attacker delivers a crafted file through email, instant messaging, a malicious website, or shared storage. The victim must open the file in a vulnerable version of Illustrator. No elevated privileges are required on the system prior to exploitation. Refer to the Adobe Illustrator Security Advisory APSB25-65 for vendor details. No public proof-of-concept exploit was available at the time of publication.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49531

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by Illustrator.exe on Windows or the Adobe Illustrator process on macOS, particularly shells, scripting engines, or rundll32.exe.
Illustrator process crashes or memory access violations recorded in Windows Event Logs or macOS crash reports shortly after opening .ai, .eps, .pdf, .svg, or related files.
Outbound network connections initiated by the Illustrator process to unfamiliar hosts following a file open event.

Detection Strategies

Hunt for Illustrator processes performing file writes to startup, scheduled task, or LaunchAgent locations immediately after launch.
Correlate file-open telemetry for Illustrator-compatible extensions with subsequent process creation events to identify anomalous execution chains.
Inspect endpoint memory protection logs for access violation exceptions originating in Illustrator modules.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable command-line and process-creation auditing on workstations where Illustrator is installed to capture post-exploitation activity.
Monitor for the introduction of unsigned binaries or scripts in user-writable directories on hosts running Illustrator.
Track installed Illustrator versions through software inventory tooling to confirm patch coverage against 28.7.6 and 29.5.1.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49531

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe Illustrator to the fixed releases listed in Adobe security bulletin APSB25-65 on all Windows and macOS endpoints.
Restrict opening of Illustrator files received from untrusted sources until patching is verified across the environment.
Confirm that standard users do not run Illustrator with administrative privileges, limiting the impact of successful exploitation.

Patch Information

Adobe addressed CVE-2025-49531 in the security update described in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-65. Administrators should apply the vendor-provided updates that supersede Illustrator 28.7.6 and 29.5.1. Updates are delivered through the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or through enterprise deployment tooling such as the Adobe Admin Console.

Workarounds

No vendor-supplied workaround is documented; patching is the supported remediation path.
Use email and web gateway controls to block or quarantine Illustrator-compatible file types from external senders during the patch window.
Apply application allowlisting to prevent Illustrator from launching scripting interpreters or unsigned executables as child processes.

bash

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

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