dbcve.org
Substance 3d ModelerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-43553

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.22.0 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 - Modeler versions 1.21.0 and earlier are affected by an Uncontrolled Search Path Element vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. If the application relies on a search path to locate critical resources such as libraries or executables, an attacker could manipulate the search path to load a malicious resource, potentially executing arbitrary code. 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

Substance3D Modeler versions 1.21.0 and earlier use an uncontrolled search path to locate critical resources such as libraries or executables. An attacker can manipulate this search path to load a malicious resource, leading to arbitrary code execution in the current user's context. Exploitation requires the victim to open a malicious file.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches when available. Until then, exercise caution when opening files from untrusted sources and ensure the application runs from trusted, controlled directories. Organizations may implement application allowlisting and endpoint detection as compensating controls.

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 ModelerApplication
Affected:< 1.22.0

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. Determine installed version of Adobe Substance 3D Modeler
    Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app, navigate to the Apps tab, find Substance 3D Modeler in the installed apps list, and note the version number displayed. Alternatively, open Substance 3D Modeler and go to Help > About to see the version.
    Affected if The version shown is 1.21.0 or earlier (any version below 1.22.0).
  2. Verify application launch directory
    Right-click the Adobe Substance 3D Modeler shortcut or executable, select Properties, and check the 'Start in' field. This shows the working directory from which the application will execute.
    Affected if The application is launched from a directory that is writable or accessible by untrusted users, or from a download/external location.
  3. Inspect application search path locations
    Check common DLL search path directories where the application runs from, including the application directory itself, system directories, and the current working directory. Look for any unexpected DLL files that may have been placed alongside the executable.
    Affected if Unexpected DLL files, particularly from untrusted sources, are present in the application directory or locations that appear in the search path.
  4. Review recent file opening activity
    Check Windows Event Viewer or the application's recent files list to see if any files from untrusted or external sources (such as email attachments, downloads folder, or network shares) have been opened recently.
    Affected if The user has opened files from untrusted or unknown sources with Substance 3D Modeler.

You are affected if Adobe Substance 3D Modeler version 1.21.0 or earlier is installed, especially if the application runs from or loads files from untrusted or writable directories.

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 1.22.0 or later
Fixed in 1.22.0
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided patches when available. Until then, exercise caution when opening files from untrusted sources and ensure the application runs from trusted, controlled directories. Organizations may implement application allowlisting and endpoint detection as compensating controls.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.22.0

  1. Close any running instances of Substance 3D Modeler
  2. Download the latest version of Substance 3D Modeler (version 1.22.0 or later) from the official Adobe website at helpx.adobe.com
  3. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation
  4. After installation, verify the version by opening Substance 3D Modeler and checking the version number in the application menu or About section
  5. Ensure the installed version is 1.22.0 or higher to confirm the vulnerability is patched

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

Fix this in Substance 3d Modeler Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,100
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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-2025-43553 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