CVE-2025-21168
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedSubstance3D - Designer versions 14.1 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass mitigations such as ASLR. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceOut-of-bounds read vulnerability in Substance3D Designer versions 14.1 and earlier allows memory disclosure during file parsing. Successful exploitation can leak sensitive memory contents enabling attackers to bypass ASLR mitigations. Requires user to open a malicious file.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 14.1.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate installed Adobe Substance 3D Designer versionOpen the application, then go to Help > About Adobe Substance 3D Designer, or check Programs and Features in Control Panel for the installed versionAffected if The displayed version is 14.1 or earlier, or shows a version number less than 14.1.1
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Verify the exact version numberNote the full version string shown (for example, 14.0, 14.0.1, 14.1, or 14.1.0)Affected if Version is 14.1.x where x is any build number, or any 14.0.x version, placing it below 14.1.1
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Determine exposure to file parsing triggerConfirm that the application is used to open or process files from external sources, since exploitation requires a user to open a malicious fileAffected if Users open .sbsar, .sbs, or other Substance 3D Designer file formats from untrusted sources
You are affected if Adobe Substance 3D Designer is installed at a version lower than 14.1.1 and the application is used to open files from potentially untrusted sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped14.1.1
Update Substance3D Designer to a version newer than 14.1 when patches become available. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected files from untrusted sources.
Substance 3D Designer 14.1.1 or later
- Back up any existing projects and custom assets in Substance 3D Designer
- Download Substance 3D Designer version 14.1.1 or later from the official Adobe website (helpx.adobe.com)
- Install the upgraded version of Substance 3D Designer
- Launch the application and verify the version number shows 14.1.1 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-21168 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-21168 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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