dbcve.org
IncopyApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-34251

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-07-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 17.2 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 InCopy versions 17.2 (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 17.2 and earlier and 16.4.1 and earlier contain an Out-Of-Bounds Write vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Successful exploitation requires a victim to open a specially crafted malicious file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe InCopy to a version beyond 17.2 and 16.4.1 when patches become available. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected InCopy files from unknown sources.

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, <= 17.2

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. Locate Adobe InCopy installation
    Check if Adobe InCopy is installed by looking for the executable. On Windows, typical paths are C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InCopy 2022\ or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InCopy CS\. On Mac, look in /Applications/Adobe InCopy 2022/ or similar.
    Affected if Adobe InCopy is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed InCopy version on Windows
    Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InCopy\(version)\InstallPath, or use command: reg query 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InCopy' /s. The version key (e.g., 17.0, 16.4) contains the installed version number.
    Affected if Version cannot be determined or key does not exist (not installed)
  3. Determine installed InCopy version on Mac
    Right-click Adobe InCopy.app in /Applications, select Get Info, or use terminal command: defaults read /Applications/Adobe\ InCopy\ 2022/Adobe\ InCopy\ 2022.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString
    Affected if Application is installed but version cannot be determined
  4. Compare version against affected ranges
    If version is identified (e.g., 17.2, 16.4.1, 16.3, etc.), check if it falls within: 16.4.1 and earlier, OR 17.0 through 17.2. Versions 16.4.2 and later, or 17.3 and later are NOT affected.
    Affected if Installed version is 16.4.1 or lower, OR is 17.0 through 17.2 (inclusive)
  5. Check for recently opened suspicious files
    Review recent files opened in InCopy. The vulnerability requires a specially crafted malicious file to be opened. Check the application's recent files list (File > Open Recent) for untrusted or unexpected .icml or .icap files from unknown sources.
    Affected if User has opened files from untrusted sources (this indicates potential exposure but does not confirm exploitation)

The system is affected if Adobe InCopy version 16.4.1 or lower, or version 17.0 through 17.2 is installed.

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
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe InCopy to a version beyond 17.2 and 16.4.1 when patches become available. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected InCopy files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe InCopy 17.3 or later (or 16.4.2+/16.5+ for legacy 16.x line)

  1. 1. Close Adobe InCopy if currently running
  2. 2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to adobe.com/downloads
  3. 3. Locate Adobe InCopy in your installed applications
  4. 4. Check the current version by opening InCopy and going to Help > About InCopy
  5. 5. If version is 16.4.1 or earlier, or 17.0-17.2, initiate update through Creative Cloud or download the latest version from Adobe's website
  6. 6. Install the updated version (17.3 or later for the 17.x line, or 16.4.2+/16.5+ for the 16.x line)
  7. 7. Restart the application and verify the version shows the updated release
Caveat Standard Adobe update - review release notes for minor feature changes; ensure compatible system requirements are met

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

Fix this in Incopy Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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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-2022-34251 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