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Use-After-Free RCE in Adobe Acrobat Reader

IdentifiersCVE-2025-54257CWE-416· Use After Free

CVE-2025-54257 is a use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader affecting versions 24.001.30254, 20.005.30774, 25.001.20672 and earlier on Windows and macOS. The flaw occurs because Acrobat Reader continues to reference memory after it has been freed while processing certain PDF structures. Cisco Talos reported the issue in the page property functionality of Acrobat Reader 2025.001.20531, where specially crafted JavaScript embedded in a malicious PDF can trigger reuse of a previously freed object. This can cause memory corruption and may allow attacker-controlled data to be accessed or executed, resulting in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires the victim to open the malicious PDF file.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution in the security context of the current user. Because scope is unchanged, the attacker gains the same privileges as the user running Acrobat Reader. This can enable compromise of user data, installation or execution of additional malware, and further post-exploitation activity subject to the victim user's privileges.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure by preventing users from opening untrusted or unsolicited PDF files, especially PDFs that may contain embedded JavaScript or malformed structures. In managed environments, restrict Acrobat Reader use on high-risk systems, disable or limit PDF JavaScript where operationally feasible, and ensure users operate without unnecessary administrative privileges to reduce post-exploitation impact.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Apply Adobe's security updates for Acrobat and Reader and upgrade to a fixed version later than 24.001.30254, 20.005.30774, and 25.001.20672, as applicable. Adobe's APSB25-85 advisory indicates updates can be installed through Help > Check for Updates or deployed centrally in enterprise environments using tools such as SCCM, AIP-GPO, or Apple Remote Desktop.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
AdobeAcrobatapplication
AdobeAcrobat Dcapplication
AdobeAcrobat Readerapplication
AdobeAcrobat Reader Dcapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.
Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures1

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity2

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

Use-After-Free RCE in Adobe Acrobat Reader (CVE-2025-54257) | Mallory