dbcve.org
IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2021-39820

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-06-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 16.3.2 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
Adobe InDesign versions 16.3 (and earlier), and 16.3.1 (and earlier) is affected by an Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability due to insecure handling of a malicious TIFF file, potentially resulting in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability.

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

Adobe InDesign versions 16.3 and earlier, and 16.3.1 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability triggered by parsing a maliciously crafted TIFF file. The insecure handling of TIFF image data allows writing beyond allocated memory boundaries, which can be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationUpdate Adobe InDesign to version 16.4 or later to address the vulnerable TIFF parsing code. Until patched, users should avoid opening untrusted TIFF files in InDesign.

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
IndesignApplication
Affected:<= 16.3.2<= 16.3

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 InDesign is installed
    Check for InDesign installation by looking in typical program directories or using system inventory tools - on Windows check C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe InDesign, on macOS check /Applications/Adobe InDesign
    Affected if Adobe InDesign software is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed InDesign version
    Open Adobe InDesign and go to Help > About Adobe InDesign (or use the command line: Windows - "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign CS6\ID.exe" -version, macOS - /Applications/Adobe\ InDesign\ CS6/Adobe\ InDesign\ CS6.app/Contents/MacOS/Adobe\ InDesign\ CS6 -version)
    Affected if The displayed version number is 16.3.2, 16.3.1, 16.3, or any earlier 16.x version
  3. Confirm TIFF import functionality is available
    In InDesign, verify the ability to place or import image files - try File > Place and navigate to a folder to confirm the TIFF file format is recognized as an importable option
    Affected if TIFF files appear as supported in the Place dialog or File > Import options
  4. Identify if untrusted TIFF files could be processed
    Check InDesign document workflows or scripts that automatically process TIFF images - look for any automation, hot folders, or scripts that accept external TIFF input
    Affected if There are workflows, scripts, or processes that could automatically open or place TIFF files from untrusted sources into InDesign

You are affected if Adobe InDesign version 16.3.2 or earlier is installed and the application is used to open or process TIFF files from potentially 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 a release after 16.3.2
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe InDesign to version 16.4 or later to address the vulnerable TIFF parsing code. Until patched, users should avoid opening untrusted TIFF files in InDesign.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Fixed version specified in Adobe security bulletin (check helpx.adobe.com for exact release)

  1. 1. Verify your current Adobe InDesign version by going to Help > About Adobe InDesign
  2. 2. Navigate to the official Adobe security bulletin at helpx.adobe.com for CVE-2021-39820
  3. 3. Download and install the patched version of Adobe InDesign as specified in the Adobe security bulletin
  4. 4. Restart InDesign after installation
  5. 5. Confirm the installed version matches the fixed release version

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

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,640
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-39820 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