CVE-2026-75767 in Substance 3D Painter
Summary
by MITRE • 08/25/2026
Substance3D - Painter is 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2026
The identified vulnerability represents a critical security flaw within Substance 3D Painter, specifically classified as a heap-based buffer overflow. This type of memory corruption error occurs when a program writes data beyond the allocated boundaries of a buffer located on the heap, which is the portion of computer memory used for dynamic allocation during runtime. In this specific instance, the vulnerability stems from improper validation or bounds checking within the application's file parsing logic. When the software processes input files, particularly those containing complex 3D assets or texture data, it fails to adequately verify that incoming data fits within the pre-allocated memory space. This lack of rigorous boundary checks allows an attacker to craft a maliciously constructed file that triggers the overflow condition when opened by the victim.
From a technical perspective, heap-based buffer overflows are particularly dangerous because they can corrupt internal data structures used for managing dynamic memory allocation. By carefully crafting the payload within the oversized input, an attacker can overwrite adjacent memory regions, potentially including function pointers or exception handlers stored on the stack or in other critical areas of the process address space. This manipulation allows for precise control over the program's execution flow. If exploited successfully, this flaw enables arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the current user account. The impact is severe because it grants an attacker full control over the affected system, allowing them to install programs, view, change, or delete critical data, or create new accounts with unrestricted access rights.
The operational context for exploiting this vulnerability requires direct user interaction, which classifies it as a social engineering vector rather than a remote network exploit. A victim must actively open a malicious file that has been disguised or delivered through phishing emails, compromised websites, or other deceptive means. This requirement significantly influences the risk profile and mitigation strategy. While the technical severity is high due to the potential for complete system compromise, the attack surface is limited by the necessity of user action. Attackers typically rely on convincing users to bypass security warnings or trust seemingly legitimate sources to deliver the exploit payload. The vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifier CWE-120, which describes buffer copy without checking size limits, and specifically relates to heap corruption mechanisms often associated with CWE-787 in terms of out-of-bounds write operations.
In relation to cyber attack frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK, this vulnerability facilitates the initial access phase through malicious files or links (T1566) and enables privilege escalation if the user account has elevated permissions. The exploitation chain typically involves delivering a crafted file that triggers the buffer overflow upon parsing by Substance 3D Painter, leading to code execution within the application's process context. To mitigate this risk, users should ensure they are running the latest version of Substance 3D Painter where Adobe or its developers have likely implemented stricter input validation and memory safety checks. Additionally, organizations should enforce strict email filtering policies to block suspicious attachments and educate employees on recognizing social engineering attempts that might lead them to open untrusted files. Implementing application whitelisting can also prevent unauthorized execution of malicious payloads derived from such exploits, thereby reducing the impact even if a user inadvertently triggers the vulnerability.