CVE-2021-21090
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 · uneditedAdobe InCopy version 16.0 (and earlier) is affected by an path traversal vulnerability when parsing a crafted file. An unauthenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to achieve remote 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 confidenceAdobe InCopy versions 16.0 and earlier contain a path traversal vulnerability when parsing crafted files. By embedding path traversal sequences (e.g., ../) in a malicious file, an attacker can write arbitrary files to the filesystem and achieve remote code execution in the context of the user who opens the 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<= 16.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Adobe InCopy is installedCheck for InCopy installation: On Windows, look in Program Files/Adobe or use 'Get-ItemProperty' registry query for HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*InCopy*'}. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe InCopy.Affected if Adobe InCopy is found on the system
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Identify the installed version numberRun the application and check About, or query the version via registry on Windows: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InCopy' -Name CurrentVersion, or check the executable properties at Program Files/Adobe/InCopyVersionFolder/InCopy.exeAffected if Version returned is 16.0 or earlier
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Compare version to affected rangeMatch the discovered version against the affected range: versions 16.0 and earlier are vulnerable, version 16.1 and later are patchedAffected if Installed version is 16.0 or earlier
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Determine exposure to untrusted filesAssess whether users open InCopy files (.icml, .icap, .inx) from untrusted or unknown sources, as exploitation requires opening a crafted malicious fileAffected if Users routinely open InCopy files from untrusted sources without verification
A system is affected if Adobe InCopy version 16.0 or earlier is installed AND users may open InCopy files from untrusted sources, as the vulnerability triggers during file parsing.
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 · scopedUpdate Adobe InCopy to version 16.1 or later. Until patched, avoid opening InCopy files from untrusted sources.
Adobe InCopy 16.1 or later
- 1. Open Adobe InCopy
- 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates
- 3. Download and install the available security update
- 4. Alternatively, download the latest version of Adobe InCopy from the official Adobe website
- 5. Verify the installed version is 16.1 or later by going to Help > About Adobe InCopy
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21090 — 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-2021-21090 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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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.
- 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