CVE-2025-61819: Adobe Photoshop Buffer Overflow Flaw

CVE-2025-61819 Overview

CVE-2025-61819 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability affecting Adobe Photoshop Desktop versions 26.8.1 and earlier. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The flaw maps to [CWE-122] Heap-based Buffer Overflow and [CWE-787] Out-of-bounds Write. Exploitation requires user interaction, specifically opening a crafted file in Photoshop on Windows or macOS. Adobe has published security advisory APSB25-108 and released fixed versions to address the issue.

Critical Impact
An attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution under the privileges of the logged-in user when a victim opens a malicious Photoshop file.

Affected Products

Adobe Photoshop Desktop 26.8.1 and earlier
Apple macOS installations running affected Photoshop versions
Microsoft Windows installations running affected Photoshop versions

Discovery Timeline

2025-11-11 - CVE-2025-61819 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2025-11-12 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-61819

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow in Adobe Photoshop's file parsing logic. When Photoshop processes a maliciously crafted file, it writes data past the bounds of a heap-allocated buffer. This out-of-bounds write corrupts adjacent heap metadata or object pointers. An attacker who controls the overflowing content can influence program flow and execute arbitrary code. Execution occurs in the security context of the user who opened the file, so any access the user holds becomes available to the attacker.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient validation of size or length fields parsed from an untrusted file. Photoshop allocates a heap buffer based on assumed bounds, then copies attacker-controlled data without enforcing those bounds. The combination of [CWE-122] and [CWE-787] indicates the write extends beyond the allocation and corrupts heap structures used later by the application.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is local and requires user interaction. The attacker must deliver a crafted image or project file and convince a user to open it in Photoshop. Common delivery channels include email attachments, file-sharing platforms, and malicious downloads. The victim's account privileges determine the impact, and successful exploitation yields full code execution within that user session.

No public proof-of-concept code has been released for CVE-2025-61819. Refer to the Adobe Photoshop Security Advisory APSB25-108 for vendor technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-61819

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected child processes spawned by Photoshop.exe or the Photoshop binary on macOS, particularly command shells or scripting interpreters.
Photoshop process crashes followed by anomalous outbound network connections from the user session.
Suspicious Photoshop-format files (.psd, .psb, and other supported formats) arriving through email, chat, or web downloads from untrusted sources.

Detection Strategies

Monitor process creation events where Photoshop is the parent of cmd.exe, powershell.exe, bash, osascript, or curl.
Hunt for Photoshop processes performing file writes to autorun, startup, or scheduled task locations.
Alert on crash telemetry from Photoshop tied to heap corruption signatures such as access violations during file open operations.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward endpoint process and file telemetry to a centralized analytics platform for correlation across user sessions.
Track Photoshop version inventory across managed endpoints to identify hosts still running 26.8.1 or earlier.
Inspect email gateways and web proxies for Photoshop file types from external senders and quarantine unsolicited samples.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-61819

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe Photoshop to the fixed version listed in Adobe security bulletin APSB25-108 on all Windows and macOS endpoints.
Identify and inventory installations of Photoshop 26.8.1 and earlier across the environment.
Instruct users to avoid opening Photoshop files received from untrusted or unexpected sources until patching is complete.

Patch Information

Adobe addressed CVE-2025-61819 in the updates documented in the Adobe Photoshop Security Advisory APSB25-108. Administrators should deploy the vendor-provided installer through Creative Cloud, managed software distribution, or mobile device management tooling.

Workarounds

Restrict execution of Photoshop on systems handling untrusted file inputs until updates are installed.
Apply application allowlisting to block child process creation from Photoshop binaries.
Enforce least-privilege user accounts so that code execution in the user context yields limited reach.

bash

# Example: query installed Photoshop version on Windows via PowerShell
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" |
  Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "Adobe Photoshop*" } |
  Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, InstallLocation