CVE-2025-54206: Adobe InDesign RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-54206 Overview

CVE-2025-54206 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability [CWE-787] affecting Adobe InDesign Desktop versions 20.4, 19.5.4 and earlier. The flaw allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when a victim opens a malicious file. The issue affects InDesign installations on both Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows. Adobe published a security advisory addressing this issue under bulletin APSB25-79.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running InDesign, leading to full compromise of the user session.

Affected Products

Adobe InDesign Desktop version 20.4 and earlier
Adobe InDesign Desktop version 19.5.4 and earlier
Affected on Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-12 - CVE-2025-54206 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-54206

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write condition in Adobe InDesign Desktop. Out-of-bounds write issues occur when an application writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of an allocated buffer. In this case, InDesign mishandles values within a crafted document during parsing, causing memory adjacent to the target buffer to be overwritten with attacker-controlled bytes.

Attackers can leverage this primitive to corrupt object metadata, function pointers, or other control structures within the process memory. Once control flow is hijacked, the attacker executes arbitrary code in the context of the user running InDesign. Because InDesign processes complex proprietary file formats, the attack surface for malformed structures is broad.

The vulnerability requires user interaction. A victim must open a malicious InDesign document delivered through email, a shared drive, or a download. No network access to the target is required, and no prior authentication to the system is needed for the attacker.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incorrect bounds checking when InDesign processes structured data inside an InDesign file. Specific length or index fields embedded in the file influence write operations into a fixed-size buffer without validation, enabling the out-of-bounds write.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local and file-based. An attacker crafts a malicious .indd or related InDesign document and delivers it through phishing or social engineering. When the user opens the document in a vulnerable InDesign version, the parser triggers the memory corruption and the attacker gains code execution under the user account.

No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently listed for this CVE, and it is not present on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Refer to the Adobe InDesign Security Advisory APSB25-79 for vendor-confirmed technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54206

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by InDesign.exe on Windows or the Adobe InDesign binary on macOS, such as command shells, scripting hosts, or LOLBins.
InDesign process crashes or exception events immediately after opening a document received from an external source.
Inbound InDesign documents (.indd, .idml) from untrusted senders or with anomalous file sizes and metadata.
New persistence artifacts (scheduled tasks, LaunchAgents, Run keys) created shortly after an InDesign document is opened.

Detection Strategies

Monitor endpoint telemetry for process-tree anomalies where InDesign is the parent of cmd.exe, powershell.exe, wscript.exe, bash, osascript, or curl.
Inspect mail and file-sharing gateways for InDesign file types arriving from external sources and correlate with later endpoint activity.
Alert on user-mode crash events involving the InDesign process, which may indicate failed exploitation attempts.

Monitoring Recommendations

Track InDesign version inventory and flag hosts still running 20.4, 19.5.4, or earlier builds.
Forward EDR process, file, and crash telemetry to a central data lake for retroactive hunting once new indicators emerge.
Maintain a watchlist for InDesign-related child process activity targeting users in design, marketing, and publishing roles.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54206

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe InDesign Desktop to the patched versions listed in Adobe security bulletin APSB25-79.
Identify all endpoints with InDesign installed and prioritize patching for users who routinely open externally sourced documents.
Instruct users to avoid opening InDesign files received from unknown or untrusted senders until patching is complete.

Patch Information

Adobe released fixes for this vulnerability in security bulletin APSB25-79. Administrators should review the Adobe InDesign Security Advisory for fixed version numbers and download locations, and deploy updates through Adobe Creative Cloud or the enterprise admin console.

Workarounds

Apply the vendor patch as the only fully effective remediation; no official workaround is documented.
Restrict the opening of InDesign documents from external sources via email and web filtering policies.
Run InDesign under standard user accounts without local administrator rights to limit the impact of successful exploitation.

bash

# Configuration example: Inventory InDesign versions on Windows endpoints
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" |
  Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*InDesign*" } |
  Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation