CVE-2025-54205: Adobe Substance 3D Sampler Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2025-54205 Overview

CVE-2025-54205 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability affecting Adobe Substance 3D Sampler versions 5.0.3 and earlier. The flaw allows an attacker to read memory outside the intended buffer boundaries, which can disclose sensitive process memory contents. Exploitation requires user interaction: a victim must open a malicious file crafted by the attacker. Adobe published the issue in security advisory APSB25-78. The weakness is classified under [CWE-125] (Out-of-Bounds Read), and the CVSS vector indicates a local attack path with high confidentiality impact but no integrity or availability impact.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation discloses sensitive memory from the Substance 3D Sampler process, which may include pointers, credentials, or other data useful for chaining further attacks.

Affected Products

Adobe Substance 3D Sampler 5.0.3
Adobe Substance 3D Sampler earlier than 5.0.3
Windows and macOS installations of the affected product

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-12 - CVE-2025-54205 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-54205

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-54205 is an out-of-bounds read defect in Adobe Substance 3D Sampler, a texturing application used for creating physically-based materials. The vulnerability is triggered when the application parses a maliciously crafted asset file. During parsing, the program reads beyond the allocated bounds of a buffer, returning memory contents that were not intended to be exposed to the file-processing logic.

The disclosed memory can include heap metadata, pointers useful for bypassing Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), or fragments of previously processed data. Attackers frequently combine out-of-bounds reads with separate memory corruption issues to build reliable exploit chains.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incorrect bounds validation when the file parser reads structured data from an untrusted input file. The parser trusts a size or offset value derived from attacker-controlled fields and dereferences memory past the end of the intended buffer. This pattern is characteristic of [CWE-125] weaknesses in native code that handles complex binary formats such as 3D asset containers, textures, and material graphs.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access and user interaction. An attacker delivers a malicious project or asset file through email, a shared repository, a marketplace download, or a supply-chain vector. The victim opens the file in Substance 3D Sampler, and the parser triggers the out-of-bounds read. The attacker does not need prior authentication on the target system. See the Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-78 for the vendor description.

// No verified proof-of-concept is publicly available for CVE-2025-54205.
// See the Adobe advisory APSB25-78 for vendor-provided technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54205

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected crashes or abnormal terminations of Adobe Substance 3D Sampler.exe shortly after opening a project or asset file
Substance 3D Sampler processes reading files from untrusted download directories, email attachment paths, or removable media
Unusual child processes spawned by Substance 3D Sampler after opening a third-party asset

Detection Strategies

Monitor endpoint telemetry for Substance 3D Sampler process crashes correlated with file-open events
Alert on Substance 3D Sampler executing files sourced from browser downloads, mail clients, or messaging applications
Inspect asset files received from external parties with static analyzers before opening in the application

Monitoring Recommendations

Track installed versions of Adobe Substance 3D Sampler across managed endpoints and flag hosts running 5.0.3 or earlier
Log file-open activity for known Substance file extensions to establish a baseline for anomaly detection
Correlate application crash events with recent file downloads to identify potential exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54205

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe Substance 3D Sampler to the version identified as fixed in Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-78
Restrict opening Substance 3D asset files received from untrusted sources until patching is complete
Inventory endpoints running Substance 3D Sampler and prioritize creative and design workstations for update deployment

Patch Information

Adobe released fixed builds addressing CVE-2025-54205 as part of the APSB25-78 update cycle. Administrators should apply the vendor-supplied patch through Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop or the Adobe admin console. Review the Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-78 for exact fixed versions and download instructions.

Workarounds

Block inbound delivery of Substance 3D project and asset file types at email gateways where feasible
Enforce application allowlisting so Substance 3D Sampler runs only under standard user accounts without administrative privileges
Educate designers and 3D artists to avoid opening asset files from unverified marketplaces or contributors

bash

# Verify installed Substance 3D Sampler version on Windows
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Substance 3D Sampler" /s | findstr /i version

# Verify installed Substance 3D Sampler version on macOS
defaults read "/Applications/Adobe Substance 3D Sampler/Adobe Substance 3D Sampler.app/Contents/Info.plist" CFBundleShortVersionString