Analysis Summary

Adobe has released a critical security update to address a severe vulnerability (CVE-2025-30330) in its widely used design software, Adobe Illustrator. This flaw is categorized as a heap-based buffer overflow and affects both Windows and macOS versions of Illustrator 2025 (version 29.3 and earlier) and Illustrator 2024 (version 28.7.5 and earlier). Assigned a CVSS score of high. According to Adobe, the vulnerability is considered critical due to its potential to allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on a victim’s system, thereby compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The vulnerability can be exploited locally and requires no special privileges, but it does depend on user interaction. Specifically, an attacker must trick a victim into opening a specially crafted malicious file, typically in .ai or .eps format, distributed via email, compromised websites, or similar delivery methods. Once the malicious file is opened, a heap-based buffer overflow can be triggered, allowing the attacker to execute code within the context of the current user.

To mitigate the risk, Adobe has released patched versions: Illustrator 2025 version 29.4 and Illustrator 2024 version 28.7.6. Users are strongly urged to update their installations via the Creative Cloud desktop application. Those who have disabled automatic updates must manually apply the patch. While there are currently no known exploits in the wild, the public disclosure of the vulnerability details increases the likelihood of exploitation, making timely patching crucial.

Organizations should adopt a proactive patch management strategy and educate users on the dangers of opening Illustrator files from untrusted sources. Disabling automatic updates can help IT teams control deployment timing, but this should be balanced with the urgency of applying critical security patches. Until updated, users remain at risk of targeted attacks leveraging this vulnerability, which could result in complete system compromise.

Impact

• Code Execution

Indicators of Compromise

CVE

• CVE-2025-30330

Affected Vendors

Affected Products

• Adobe Illustrator

Remediation

• Update Illustrator Immediately:
• Launch the Creative Cloud desktop app and apply all available updates.
• For systems with disabled automatic updates, perform a manual update.
• Do not open .ai or .eps files from unknown or suspicious sources.
• Establish a regular patching cycle for design software.
• Log and monitor all update activities to ensure compliance.
• Set up endpoint detection and security alerts for abnormal Illustrator activity.
• Watch for Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) related to heap-based buffer overflows.
• Ensure users operate with the least privileged access to minimize impact in case of exploitation.
• Conduct training on file handling risks and social engineering threats.
• Encourage users to report unexpected or suspicious Illustrator files.