CVE-2023-25908: Understanding the Use After Free Vulnerability in Adobe Photoshop Versions 23.5.3 and 24.1.1

In this post, we will discuss the details of the CVE-2023-25908 vulnerability that affects Adobe Photoshop versions 23.5.3 (and earlier) and 24.1.1 (and earlier). This vulnerability is due to a Use After Free issue, which can result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction, hence a victim must open a malicious file for the exploit to be successful. We will look into the exploit details, code snippets demonstrating the vulnerability, and links to original references.

Exploit Details

The CVE-2023-25908 vulnerability lies in the Use After Free nature of the issue. When software uses memory that it is not supposed to use after it has been freed, it can create a security vulnerability. In the case of Adobe Photoshop, this can result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

The exploit requires user interaction, which means that an attacker must convince the user to open a malicious file in order for the exploit to be successful. This can be achieved through social engineering tactics, such as sending an email with the malicious file attached, or embedding the malicious file in a seemingly harmless document.

To demonstrate the vulnerability, let's look at a simple example of a Use After Free issue

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main() {
    int *ptr = (int *) malloc(sizeof(int));
    *ptr = 42;

    free(ptr); // Freeing the memory

    // After freeing the memory, the pointer still points to the same memory location
    // but it's not supposed to be accessed anymore

    *ptr = 13; // Use after free issue

    printf("Value: %d\n", *ptr);

    return ;
}

This code snippet demonstrates a simple Use After Free issue. The program allocates memory for an integer, assigns a value, and then frees the memory. After the memory has been freed, the program tries to write a new value to the same memory location, which is a Use After Free issue.

Similarly, Adobe Photoshop also improperly manages memory, resulting in the CVE-2023-25908 vulnerability.

Original References

Adobe has published a security advisory acknowledging this vulnerability and provided a patch for the affected versions:

- Adobe Security Advisory APSB22-40

In addition, the following resources provide further information on the CVE-2023-25908 vulnerability

- CVE-2023-25908 - National Vulnerability Database
- CVE-2023-25908 - MITRE Database

Conclusion

The CVE-2023-25908 Use After Free vulnerability in Adobe Photoshop versions 23.5.3 (and earlier) and 24.1.1 (and earlier) poses a security risk due to the potential for arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Software developers and security professionals must be proactive in patching the vulnerabilities and keeping their software up-to-date. To protect yourself against such vulnerabilities, it is important to always use the latest versions of software, especially when handling sensitive files and information.

Timeline

Published on: 03/27/2023 21:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 04/03/2023 13:17:00 UTC