CVE-2021-45054
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 16.4 (and earlier) is affected by a use-after-free vulnerability in the processing of a JPEG2000 file that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass mitigations such as ASLR. 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 16.4 and earlier contain a use-after-free vulnerability in the JPEG2000 file parsing component. When processing a specially crafted JPEG2000 file, the application fails to properly manage memory allocation, leading to a use-after-free condition that allows disclosure of sensitive memory contents and potential ASLR bypass.
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<= 16.4CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Verify Adobe InCopy is installedCheck for InCopy installation by searching for the application in the system: On Windows, look in Program Files or use Add/Remove Programs; on macOS, check /Applications for Adobe InCopyAffected if Adobe InCopy is found on the system
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Determine installed InCopy versionOpen InCopy, then go to Help > About InCopy (or use the system application info panel on Windows via Programs and Features) to view the exact version numberAffected if The displayed version number is 16.4 or lower (for example, 16.3, 16.2, 16.1, 16.0, 15.x, etc.)
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Confirm JPEG2000 file handling is possibleInCopy supports opening various image formats including JPEG2000 (.jp2 files). Attempt to open a sample JPEG2000 file or verify the application supports this format through File > Open supported formats listAffected if JPEG2000 file format support is present in the installed InCopy version
If Adobe InCopy version 16.4 or earlier is installed and the application can process JPEG2000 files, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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 · scopedApply the vendor-supplied Adobe patch for InCopy when available; until then, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited JPEG2000 files from unknown sources.
Adobe InCopy 16.4.1 or later
- 1. Close Adobe InCopy if it is currently running
- 2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to adobe.com
- 3. Locate Adobe InCopy in the applications list
- 4. Click on the update option to install the latest version
- 5. Alternatively, download InCopy version 16.4.1 or later from the official Adobe website
- 6. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update
- 7. Restart your computer after the update completes
- 8. Verify the installed version matches 16.4.1 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-45054 — 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-2021-45054 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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- 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
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