CVE-2023-29273 in Substance 3D Painter
Summary
by MITRE • 05/12/2023
Adobe Substance 3D Painter versions 8.3.0 (and earlier) is affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability when parsing a crafted file, which could result in a read past the end of an allocated memory structure. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/08/2025
Adobe Substance 3D Painter version 8.3.0 and earlier contains a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, representing an out-of-bounds memory access flaw. This vulnerability occurs during the parsing of maliciously crafted files and represents a fundamental memory safety issue where the application attempts to read data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory structures. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and boundary checking within the file parsing routine, specifically when processing structured data within the application's native file formats. The vulnerability is classified as a remote code execution risk because an attacker can craft a malicious file that, when opened by an unsuspecting user, triggers the out-of-bounds read condition. This condition can potentially be exploited to overwrite adjacent memory locations or cause unpredictable behavior that may lead to arbitrary code execution under the privileges of the current user account.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user interaction vector, meaning that social engineering or targeted delivery methods would be necessary to convince a victim to open the malicious file. This user interaction requirement places the vulnerability in the ATT&CK framework under the T1203 technique category, which involves social engineering to gain initial access. The out-of-bounds read condition typically manifests when the application's parser encounters malformed data structures that cause memory access violations, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate memory layout or inject malicious payloads. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple memory corruption as it can be leveraged for privilege escalation if the application runs with elevated permissions or if the memory corruption leads to predictable memory layout exploitation techniques. The attack surface is limited to users who interact with the application and open potentially malicious files, making it a targeted threat rather than a widespread vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected versions to ensure that users are running the latest stable release of Adobe Substance 3D Painter. Adobe has released security updates that address this specific memory safety issue through proper bounds checking and input validation mechanisms. Organizations should implement strict file validation policies and user education programs to prevent accidental execution of malicious files. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting controls that restrict the execution of unauthorized software and monitor for unusual file access patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust memory safety practices in creative software applications where file parsing is a core functionality. Security teams should also consider deploying endpoint detection and response solutions that can identify anomalous behavior patterns associated with memory corruption exploits and provide real-time monitoring of file opening activities within the application environment.