CVE-2022-38402
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 17.3 (and earlier) and 16.4.2 (and earlier) are affected by a Heap-based Buffer Overflow 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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe InCopy versions 17.3 and earlier and 16.4.2 and earlier allows arbitrary code execution via a maliciously crafted file that a victim must open.
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>= 16.0, <= 16.4.2>= 17.0, <= 17.3CVSS 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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Check if Adobe InCopy is installedOn Windows, search for 'InCopy' in Program Files or check Add/Remove Programs. On macOS, check /Applications folder or run 'ls /Applications | grep -i incopy'Affected if Adobe InCopy is present on the system
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Find the installed InCopy version numberOn Windows, right-click the InCopy executable in Program Files, select Properties, and view the Version tab. On macOS, right-click Adobe InCopy.app in Applications, select Get Info, and view the Version fieldAffected if Version displayed falls within 16.0-16.4.2 or 17.0-17.3
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Verify exact version against affected rangesCompare your installed version number to the vulnerable ranges: 16.0 through 16.4.2 (inclusive) or 17.0 through 17.3 (inclusive)Affected if Installed version is 16.0, 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.4.1, 16.4.2, or any 17.x version up to and including 17.3
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Confirm InCopy file association or recent useCheck for .icml, .icmt, or .inq file associations pointing to InCopy, or review recent files opened in InCopyAffected if Users regularly open untrusted InCopy files without validation
If Adobe InCopy version 16.0-16.4.2 or 17.0-17.3 is installed and users open .icml or related 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 · scopedUpdate Adobe InCopy to a patched version beyond 17.3/16.4.2; avoid opening untrusted files.
Adobe InCopy 17.4 or later (or 16.4.3 if remaining on 16.x branch)
- Navigate to the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or visit helpx.adobe.com to check for updates
- Locate Adobe InCopy in the updates section
- Apply the available security update to upgrade to version 17.4 or later (or 16.4.3 or later if staying on the 16.x branch)
- Restart the application after the update completes
- Verify the installed version by going to Help > About Adobe InCopy
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2022-38402 — 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-2022-38402 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