dbcve.org
Substance 3d DesignerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-21169

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
Substance3D - Designer versions 14.1 and earlier are affected by a Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. 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 confidence

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Substance3D Designer versions 14.1 and earlier. When a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, the buffer overflow can be triggered, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. This is a classic file-based exploitation scenario requiring user interaction.

MitigationUpdate Substance3D Designer to a version newer than 14.1 once the patch is available. Additionally, avoid opening .design or related project files from untrusted or unknown sources, as exploitation requires user interaction.

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
Substance 3d DesignerApplication
Affected:< 14.1.1

CVSS 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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Adobe Substance 3D Designer is installed
    Check common installation directories (C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Substance 3D Designer or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Substance 3D Designer on Windows; /Applications/Adobe Substance 3D Designer on macOS) or use system inventory tools to find the application.
    Affected if The application is present on the system.
  2. Determine installed version of Substance 3D Designer
    On Windows, right-click the Designer.exe file, select Properties, and view the File Version tab. On macOS, right-click the app, select Get Info, and check the Version field. Alternatively, launch Designer and go to Help > About Adobe Substance 3D Designer to display the version.
    Affected if A version number is displayed.
  3. Compare version to affected range
    Compare the installed version number to the affected range: versions earlier than 14.1.1 (including 14.1, 14.0.x, and all prior versions) are vulnerable.
    Affected if The installed version is 14.1 or earlier, or any version number less than 14.1.1.
  4. Identify if .design files are processed
    Check if the application is configured to open .design files, or if users in the environment commonly import .design files from external sources. Review file association settings in the OS and Designer preferences.
    Affected if The application processes .design files from potentially untrusted sources.

You are affected if Adobe Substance 3D Designer version 14.1 or earlier (below 14.1.1) is installed and users open .design files from untrusted sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 14.1.1 or later
Fixed in 14.1.1
Interim mitigation

Update Substance3D Designer to a version newer than 14.1 once the patch is available. Additionally, avoid opening .design or related project files from untrusted or unknown sources, as exploitation requires user interaction.

Recommended fix High confidence

14.1.1

  1. Navigate to the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or visit helpx.adobe.com
  2. Locate Substance 3D Designer in your installed applications
  3. Check for available updates or navigate to the Substance 3D Designer product page
  4. Download and install Substance 3D Designer version 14.1.1 or later
  5. Verify the installed version by opening Substance 3D Designer and checking Help > About

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Substance 3d Designer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-21169 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data