CVE-2025-54274: Adobe Substance 3D Viewer Buffer Overflow

CVE-2025-54274 Overview

CVE-2025-54274 is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability [CWE-121] in Adobe Substance 3D Viewer versions 0.25.2 and earlier. The flaw allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when a victim opens a maliciously crafted file. Adobe published the issue in security advisory APSB25-99 on October 14, 2025. Exploitation requires local user interaction, limiting remote attack scenarios but creating a viable vector for phishing and supply chain delivery of weaponized 3D assets.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running Substance 3D Viewer, enabling full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected host.

Affected Products

Adobe Substance 3D Viewer version 0.25.2
Adobe Substance 3D Viewer versions earlier than 0.25.2
All supported platforms running the affected Substance 3D Viewer builds

Discovery Timeline

2025-10-14 - CVE-2025-54274 published to NVD
2025-10-14 - Adobe publishes security advisory APSB25-99
2025-10-14 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-54274

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a stack-based buffer overflow that occurs when Substance 3D Viewer parses a malformed input file. The application writes attacker-controlled data past the bounds of a fixed-size stack buffer, corrupting adjacent stack memory including saved return addresses and frame pointers. An attacker who controls the overflowing content can redirect execution flow and run arbitrary code in the security context of the current user. The issue is local in nature because the user must explicitly open the malicious file, but delivery through email attachments, shared project files, or compromised asset repositories is straightforward.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient bounds checking in a file parsing routine within Substance 3D Viewer. The parser trusts size or length fields from the input file and copies data into a fixed-size stack allocation without validating that the destination buffer can hold the supplied data. This is a classic [CWE-121] pattern where input-controlled length values drive an unsafe memory copy.

Attack Vector

An attacker crafts a malicious 3D asset or project file containing oversized or malformed fields designed to trigger the overflow. The file is delivered to the victim through email, messaging, a download link, or a trusted asset library. When the victim opens the file in Substance 3D Viewer 0.25.2 or earlier, the parser overruns the stack buffer and executes the attacker's payload. No elevated privileges or prior authentication are required on the target system. Refer to the Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-99 for vendor-supplied technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54274

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by the Substance 3D Viewer executable, particularly command shells, scripting hosts, or rundll32.exe
Crash events or Windows Error Reporting entries referencing Substance 3D Viewer with access violation or stack corruption signatures
3D asset files arriving from untrusted sources with anomalous size, structure, or metadata fields
Outbound network connections originating from the Substance 3D Viewer process to unfamiliar hosts

Detection Strategies

Monitor process lineage for Substance 3D Viewer spawning interpreters or living-off-the-land binaries
Alert on memory protection violations and exception events tied to the Substance 3D Viewer process
Inspect file delivery channels for 3D project files originating outside approved asset pipelines

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable detailed process creation and command-line logging on workstations used for 3D content production
Correlate endpoint crash telemetry with file open events to identify exploitation attempts that fail before achieving code execution
Track installed Substance 3D Viewer versions across the fleet and flag any host running 0.25.2 or earlier

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54274

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe Substance 3D Viewer to the fixed release identified in Adobe Security Advisory APSB25-99
Restrict opening of Substance 3D project files received from external or untrusted sources until patching is complete
Inventory all systems with Substance 3D Viewer installed and prioritize creative and engineering workstations for remediation

Patch Information

Adobe addressed CVE-2025-54274 in the update referenced by advisory APSB25-99, published October 14, 2025. Administrators should consult the advisory for the exact fixed version string and deploy through the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or enterprise software distribution tooling.

Workarounds

Block or quarantine inbound Substance 3D asset file formats at the mail and web gateway until patches are applied
Run Substance 3D Viewer under a standard user account with no administrative privileges to limit post-exploitation impact
Apply application allowlisting to prevent the viewer process from launching unauthorized child binaries

bash

# Configuration example: verify installed Substance 3D Viewer version on Windows
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" |
  Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Substance 3D Viewer*" } |
  Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation