CVE-2021-45058
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 InDesign version 16.4 (and earlier) is affected by an out-of-bounds write 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 JPEG 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 InDesign versions 16.4 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability during JPEG file parsing. An attacker can craft a malicious JPEG that, when opened by a victim, triggers the vulnerability and executes arbitrary code in the context of the current user.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate installed Adobe InDesign versionOpen Adobe InDesign, then go to Help > About Adobe InDesign (Windows) or InDesign > About InDesign (Mac). The version number displays in the dialog. Alternatively, check the installed programs list in Control Panel or Applications folder.Affected if The displayed version is 16.4 or any earlier version (e.g., 16.3, 16.2, 15.x, etc.)
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Confirm version via installer or software inventoryCheck your software inventory system, SCCM, or Jamf Pro for Adobe InDesign installation records. Look for the exact version string in the software metadata.Affected if The recorded version shows 16.4 or lower, indicating the installed instance is vulnerable.
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Identify InDesign usage with JPEG filesReview user workflows or document management systems to see if InDesign is used to import or place JPEG images into documents.Affected if Users routinely open, import, or place JPEG files into InDesign documents, creating an attack surface for this vulnerability.
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Assess user privilege contextDetermine the operating system account privilege level of users who open JPEG files in InDesign. Check if users run InDesign with standard user or administrative rights.Affected if Users open the malicious JPEG while running InDesign with their normal user account, as the code executes in that user context.
You are affected if Adobe InDesign version 16.4 or earlier is installed and users open JPEG files within InDesign, since the vulnerability triggers during JPEG parsing and executes code in the current user context.
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 InDesign to a version newer than 16.4. Users should avoid opening untrusted JPEG files from unknown sources.
Adobe InDesign 16.5 or later
- Verify the current Adobe InDesign version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe InDesign
- Download Adobe InDesign version 16.5 or later from the official Adobe website (get.adobe.com/indesign) or through the Creative Cloud desktop application
- Close all running instances of Adobe InDesign
- Install the updated version following the on-screen prompts
- Restart the computer after installation completes
- Verify the new version by checking Help > About Adobe InDesign to confirm the version is 16.5 or higher
- Exercise caution when opening JPEG files from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious JPEG file)
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
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-45058 — 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-2021-45058 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data