CVE-2025-49560: Adobe Substance 3D Viewer Buffer Overflow

CVE-2025-49560 Overview

CVE-2025-49560 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability affecting Adobe Substance 3D Viewer versions 0.25 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, limiting drive-by attack scenarios but remaining viable through social engineering and malicious 3D asset distribution. Adobe published the issue under advisory APSB25-72, and the vulnerability is tracked under CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow). No public proof-of-concept exploit or active exploitation has been reported as of the last NVD update.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants attackers arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the logged-on user, enabling malware installation, credential theft, and lateral movement.

Affected Products

Adobe Substance 3D Viewer version 0.25
Adobe Substance 3D Viewer versions earlier than 0.25
Windows and macOS installations of Substance 3D Viewer

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-12 - CVE-2025-49560 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-49560

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow within Adobe Substance 3D Viewer's file parsing logic. When the application processes a crafted 3D scene or asset file, it writes data beyond the bounds of an allocated heap buffer. The corruption can overwrite adjacent heap metadata, function pointers, or object virtual table entries, allowing an attacker to redirect execution flow. Because Substance 3D Viewer runs with standard user privileges, successful exploitation yields code execution at the same privilege level as the victim.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper bounds checking when parsing untrusted file content into a heap-allocated buffer, classified under CWE-122. Adobe's advisory does not disclose the specific file format component or parser function at fault. Heap overflows in 3D asset parsers commonly stem from trusting size or count fields embedded in the file header without validating them against the actual buffer allocation.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local and requires user interaction. An attacker must deliver a malicious file to the target through email, web download, shared storage, or a compromised 3D asset repository. The victim must then open the file in Substance 3D Viewer to trigger the overflow. No network exposure or elevated privileges are required for the initial compromise.

No verified public exploit code is available. Refer to the Adobe Substance 3D Viewer Advisory (APSB25-72) for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49560

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by Adobe Substance 3D Viewer.exe such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or rundll32.exe
Crashes or abnormal termination of Substance 3D Viewer logged in Windows Event Viewer or macOS unified logs
Inbound 3D asset files (.sbsar, .fbx, .glb, .obj) received from untrusted sources immediately preceding suspicious endpoint activity
Outbound network connections initiated by the Substance 3D Viewer process to non-Adobe infrastructure

Detection Strategies

Monitor process lineage for Substance 3D Viewer spawning shells, scripting interpreters, or LOLBins
Hunt for memory access violations and heap corruption exceptions in application crash telemetry
Inspect file open events correlated with crash signatures to identify weaponized asset files

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable command-line and process creation auditing on workstations running Substance 3D Viewer
Forward endpoint telemetry to a centralized analytics platform to correlate file-open events with downstream process behavior
Alert on Substance 3D Viewer write activity to autorun locations, scheduled task paths, or user startup folders

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49560

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe Substance 3D Viewer to the version specified in Adobe security bulletin APSB25-72 on all endpoints
Inventory hosts running Substance 3D Viewer 0.25 or earlier using software asset management tooling
Restrict opening of 3D asset files received from untrusted sources until patching is complete

Patch Information

Adobe addressed CVE-2025-49560 in the security update published under Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-72. Administrators should deploy the fixed release through Adobe Creative Cloud or managed software distribution channels.

Workarounds

Block delivery of 3D asset file extensions at email and web gateways for users who do not require them
Apply application allowlisting policies to prevent Substance 3D Viewer from launching child processes
Run Substance 3D Viewer under a standard user account with no local administrator rights to limit post-exploitation impact

bash

# Example: Windows AppLocker rule denying child process creation from Substance 3D Viewer
# Configure via Group Policy: Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Application Control Policies
New-AppLockerPolicy -RuleType Path -User Everyone -Action Deny `
  -Path "%ProgramFiles%\Adobe\Adobe Substance 3D Viewer\*" `
  -RuleNamePrefix "Block-Substance3DViewer-ChildProcess"