IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-34247

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-07-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 17.2.1 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 InDesign versions 17.2.1 (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 · moderate confidence

Adobe InDesign versions 17.2.1/16.4.1 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a maliciously crafted INDD file. The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling during file parsing, enabling memory corruption that can be leveraged for code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationUpdate Adobe InDesign to the latest patched version (17.3+ and 16.4.2+) and train users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires user interaction.

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:<= 16.4.1>= 17.0, <= 17.2.1

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. Check installed Adobe InDesign version
    On Windows: Right-click the InDesign executable (C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign [version]\InDesign.exe) and select Properties > Details, or open Control Panel > Programs and Features. On Mac: Right-click Adobe InDesign in Applications > Get Info, or open Adobe InDesign and go to InDesign menu > About Adobe InDesign.
    Affected if The version number is 16.4.1 or lower, OR is between 17.0 and 17.2.1 inclusive.
  2. Verify InDesign is being used with INDD files
    Determine whether the system is used to open .INDD document files, which is the file format that triggers the vulnerability when maliciously crafted.
    Affected if Users regularly open INDD files from any source, as exploitation requires a user to open a specially crafted INDD file.
  3. Confirm the vulnerability trigger condition
    The vulnerability is triggered specifically when opening a maliciously crafted INDD file. Check if users have the ability to open files from external or untrusted sources.
    Affected if Users can open INDD files without verification of file source, as the flaw requires user interaction to open a malicious file.

You are affected if Adobe InDesign version 16.4.1 or earlier (16.x line), or version 17.0 through 17.2.1 (17.x line) is installed AND users can open untrusted INDD 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 17.2.1
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe InDesign to the latest patched version (17.3+ and 16.4.2+) and train users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires user interaction.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe InDesign 17.3 or later (or latest available release)

  1. 1. Close Adobe InDesign if it is currently running
  2. 2. Back up any important InDesign files and preferences
  3. 3. Navigate to the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or visit helpx.adobe.com
  4. 4. Check for available updates for Adobe InDesign
  5. 5. Download and install the latest version of Adobe InDesign (version 17.3 or later, or the most recent release)
  6. 6. Verify the installed version by opening InDesign and navigating to Help > About Adobe InDesign
  7. 7. Reopen any previously working files to confirm functionality
Caveat Minor interface or scripting changes may occur between major versions; test critical workflows after upgrade

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

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2022-34247 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