CVE-2025-54214: Adobe InDesign Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2025-54214 Overview

Adobe InDesign Desktop contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-54214. The flaw affects InDesign Desktop versions 20.4, 19.5.4, and earlier releases on both Windows and macOS platforms. Attackers can exploit this issue to disclose sensitive memory contents from the InDesign process. Exploitation requires user interaction: a victim must open a malicious document crafted by the attacker. Adobe published the fix through Security Bulletin APSB25-79 on August 12, 2025. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-125 (Out-of-Bounds Read).

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation can disclose sensitive memory contents from the InDesign process, which may include pointers useful for bypassing address space layout randomization (ASLR) and enabling follow-on attacks.

Affected Products

Adobe InDesign Desktop version 20.4 and earlier (2025 release)
Adobe InDesign Desktop version 19.5.4 and earlier (2024 release)
Windows and macOS installations of the affected versions

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-12 - Adobe published Security Bulletin APSB25-79 with the patch
2025-08-12 - CVE-2025-54214 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-54214

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-54214 is an out-of-bounds read defect in Adobe InDesign Desktop's file parsing logic. The application reads memory outside the bounds of an allocated buffer while processing a crafted document. This behavior falls under CWE-125, which describes reads beyond the intended buffer boundary.

The returned bytes can contain heap metadata, adjacent object data, or pointer values from the InDesign process address space. Attackers can use these leaked bytes to fingerprint memory layout, defeat ASLR, or stage a second-stage exploit that pairs with a memory corruption bug. The disclosed data may also include fragments of prior documents held in memory.

The vulnerability requires local access and user interaction. Adobe's advisory does not indicate active exploitation, and the flaw is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incorrect bounds validation during parsing of a structured field within an InDesign document format. When the parser reads a length or offset value from attacker-controlled input, it fails to confirm that the resulting read stays inside the allocated buffer. The parser then dereferences the out-of-range address and returns the contents to a downstream routine that may render, log, or serialize the bytes back to observable state.

Attack Vector

An attacker crafts a malicious InDesign document, such as an .indd file, and delivers it through email, a shared drive, or a web download. The victim opens the file in a vulnerable InDesign Desktop build. During parsing, the out-of-bounds read triggers and leaks sensitive memory. No network access to the target machine is required, and no elevated privileges are needed on the victim host.

See the Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-79 for vendor technical details. No public proof-of-concept exploit is available at the time of publication.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54214

Indicators of Compromise

InDesign documents (.indd, .idml, .indt) received from untrusted senders or downloaded from unverified sources.
Unexpected InDesign process crashes or Windows Error Reporting entries referencing InDesign.exe after opening a document.
InDesign processes spawning unusual child processes or making outbound network connections shortly after document open.

Detection Strategies

Inventory installed Adobe Creative Cloud applications and flag hosts running InDesign 20.4, 19.5.4, or earlier.
Monitor endpoint telemetry for InDesign processes reading unusually large blocks of memory or triggering access violations during file open.
Alert on InDesign documents arriving through email gateways from external senders, especially with mismatched extensions or embedded scripts.

Monitoring Recommendations

Collect process creation, module load, and crash telemetry from workstations running Adobe Creative Cloud.
Correlate document open events with subsequent process anomalies to identify attempted exploitation.
Retain email attachments and download logs for the InDesign file formats to support incident retrospective analysis.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54214

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe InDesign Desktop to the versions specified in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-79.
Identify and prioritize workstations used by design, marketing, and publishing teams where InDesign is commonly deployed.
Instruct users to avoid opening InDesign documents received from unverified sources until patches are applied.

Patch Information

Adobe released fixed builds of InDesign Desktop through Creative Cloud on August 12, 2025. Administrators should push the update through the Adobe Admin Console or allow Creative Cloud Desktop to install the latest release. Refer to the Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-79 for the exact fixed version numbers and download instructions.

Workarounds

Restrict InDesign document handling to trusted internal sources until the patch is deployed.
Configure email security gateways to quarantine .indd, .idml, and .indt attachments from external senders for manual review.
Apply application allowlisting so that only signed, updated Adobe Creative Cloud binaries execute on managed endpoints.

bash

# Example: Query installed InDesign version on Windows via PowerShell
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" |
  Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*InDesign*" } |
  Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, Publisher