dbcve.org
IncopyApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-28836

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 17.1 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 InCopy versions 17.1 (and earlier) and 16.4.1 (and earlier) are 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 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 confidence

Adobe InCopy versions 17.1 and earlier, and 16.4.1 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution when a victim opens a malicious file. The vulnerability requires user interaction but achieves code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationUpdate Adobe InCopy to version 17.2 or later (for the 17.x branch) or version 16.4.2 or later (for the 16.x branch). Users should avoid opening untrusted InCopy files until the patch is applied.

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
IncopyApplication
Affected:<= 16.4.1>= 17.0, <= 17.1

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 InCopy is installed
    On Windows, check for InCopy.exe in the Adobe program directory (typically C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InCopy 2022\ or similar) or look in Add/Remove Programs. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe InCopy.
    Affected if Adobe InCopy software is present on the system
  2. Locate the installed version number
    On Windows, right-click InCopy.exe, select Properties, and view the Details tab for Product Version. Alternatively, open InCopy and go to Help > About Adobe InCopy. On macOS, right-click the application, select Get Info, and check the version under Version.
    Affected if Version number is visible and can be compared to the affected ranges
  3. Compare installed version to affected ranges
    Check if the installed version falls within: 16.4.1 or lower, OR between 17.0 and 17.1 inclusive. Versions 16.4.2 and later, or 17.2 and later are NOT affected.
    Affected if Installed version is 16.4.1 or lower, OR installed version is 17.0 through 17.1 inclusive
  4. Confirm the vulnerability trigger condition
    This vulnerability requires a user to open a specially crafted malicious InCopy file (ICML, INDD, or other supported formats). Check if users routinely open files from untrusted sources.
    Affected if Users with access to the affected InCopy version may open untrusted files, enabling the arbitrary code execution path

A system is affected if Adobe InCopy version 16.4.1 or lower, or version 17.0 through 17.1 is installed and users may open untrusted InCopy files.

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 17.1
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe InCopy to version 17.2 or later (for the 17.x branch) or version 16.4.2 or later (for the 16.x branch). Users should avoid opening untrusted InCopy files until the patch is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe InCopy 16.4.2 or later for the 16.x line; Adobe InCopy 17.2 or later for the 17.x line

  1. 1. Close Adobe InCopy if it is currently running.
  2. 2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to the Adobe InCopy download page.
  3. 3. Check the current installed version by opening InCopy and going to Help > About InCopy.
  4. 4. If running version 16.4.1 or earlier, update to version 16.4.2 or later.
  5. 5. If running version 17.0 or 17.1, update to version 17.2 or later.
  6. 6. Alternatively, download the latest version from helpx.adobe.com/incopy/
  7. 7. Verify the update was successful by checking the version number again after restarting the application.
Caveat Standard minor version updates typically include security fixes without significant feature changes; ensure compatibility with existing workflows

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

Fix this in Incopy Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
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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-2022-28836 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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