CVE-2025-54228: Adobe InDesign Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2025-54228 Overview

CVE-2025-54228 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability affecting Adobe InDesign Desktop versions 20.4, 19.5.4, and earlier. The flaw allows attackers to disclose sensitive process memory when a victim opens a malicious InDesign file. Exploitation requires user interaction and local access. The vulnerability maps to [CWE-125] Out-of-Bounds Read and is tracked in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-79. Adobe rates the issue as medium severity based on its confidentiality impact and lack of integrity or availability effects.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation leaks sensitive memory contents from the InDesign process, which can expose data useful for bypassing memory protections or chaining with other vulnerabilities.

Affected Products

Adobe InDesign Desktop version 20.4 and earlier
Adobe InDesign Desktop version 19.5.4 and earlier
Windows and macOS installations of the affected InDesign builds

Discovery Timeline

2025-08-12 - CVE-2025-54228 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-54228

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-54228 is an out-of-bounds read [CWE-125] in Adobe InDesign Desktop. The parser reads memory outside the bounds of an allocated buffer while processing a crafted document. That read returns adjacent process memory to attacker-controlled code paths inside the application. The disclosed bytes may include heap metadata, pointers, or fragments of previously processed documents. Attackers commonly use such leaks to defeat Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) before chaining a memory corruption bug for code execution.

The issue affects both Windows and macOS builds of InDesign. Exploitation is confined to the local attack vector because the victim must open a malicious file in the InDesign application.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient bounds validation when the InDesign file parser processes a specific structure inside a document. When the length or offset field controlling a read operation is not validated against the actual buffer size, the code reads past the allocated region. Adobe's advisory does not identify the specific parser routine. See the Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-79 for the vendor description.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an attacker to deliver a malicious .indd or supported InDesign file to a victim and convince the user to open it. Common delivery vectors include phishing email attachments, malicious download links, and shared design assets. No network access to the target is required, and no privileges are needed prior to execution.

No public proof-of-concept or exploit code is available for CVE-2025-54228 at the time of writing. See the vendor advisory for technical remediation details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54228

Indicators of Compromise

InDesign process crashes or abnormal termination shortly after opening an external document
Receipt of unsolicited .indd, .indt, .idml, or related InDesign files from untrusted senders
Unexpected child processes or file writes originating from InDesign.exe on Windows or Adobe InDesign on macOS

Detection Strategies

Monitor endpoint telemetry for InDesign process crashes correlated with recent file opens from email, chat, or download folders
Inspect email gateways for InDesign document attachments originating outside trusted design workflows
Track version data from installed Adobe applications to flag hosts still running InDesign 20.4, 19.5.4, or earlier

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest Adobe Creative Cloud application logs and endpoint process telemetry into a centralized data lake for correlation
Alert on InDesign spawning scripting interpreters, network utilities, or archive tools that fall outside normal behavior
Review file provenance for InDesign documents opened by users in high-value roles such as marketing, publishing, and executive communications

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54228

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe InDesign Desktop to the fixed versions listed in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-79
Inventory endpoints running InDesign 20.4, 19.5.4, or earlier and prioritize patch deployment on those systems
Instruct users to avoid opening InDesign files from untrusted or unexpected sources until patching is complete

Patch Information

Adobe released fixed builds of InDesign Desktop as part of the APSB25-79 security update. Administrators should apply the vendor-provided update through Adobe Creative Cloud or enterprise deployment tooling. Refer to the Adobe Security Bulletin APSB25-79 for the complete list of fixed version numbers and download instructions.

Workarounds

Restrict opening of InDesign documents to files originating from trusted internal design pipelines and reviewed cloud storage locations
Apply email attachment filtering rules that quarantine InDesign file types from external senders pending review
Enforce least-privilege user accounts so that any memory disclosure or follow-on exploit runs with limited access rights

bash

# Verify installed InDesign version on macOS
defaults read "/Applications/Adobe InDesign 2024/Adobe InDesign 2024.app/Contents/Info.plist" CFBundleShortVersionString

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