CVE-2023-21594
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 versions 18.0 (and earlier), 17.4 (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 confidenceAdobe InCopy versions 18.0 and earlier, and 17.4 and earlier contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability. When a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, the buffer overflow occurs on the heap memory, potentially allowing an attacker to execute 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>= 17.0, <= 17.4= 18.0CVSS 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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Verify Adobe InCopy installationCheck if Adobe InCopy is installed on the system by looking in the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or by searching for InCopy.exe in Program Files directoriesAffected if Adobe InCopy is not installed on the system - no further action needed
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Determine installed InCopy versionLocate the InCopy executable (typically in Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InCopy 2023 or similar) and check its file version properties, or check the Adobe application info in the registryAffected if Unable to determine version - manual verification required
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Compare version against affected rangesCompare the installed version number to the affected ranges: 17.0 through 17.4 (all versions in between), or exactly version 18.0Affected if Installed version is 17.0, 17.1, 17.2, 17.3, 17.4, or 18.0 - the environment contains a vulnerable version
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Understand exploitation triggerThis vulnerability is triggered when a user opens a specially crafted malicious InCopy file (ICML, INDD, or other supported formats)Affected if The presence of the vulnerable software alone indicates potential exposure; actual exploitation requires opening a malicious file from an untrusted source
If Adobe InCopy version 17.0 through 17.4 or version 18.0 is installed, the environment is vulnerable and could be affected if a user opens a specially crafted malicious file.
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 the latest patched version. Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected files from unverified sources.
Adobe InCopy 18.1 or later (or latest Creative Cloud release)
- 1. Check the current version of Adobe InCopy by opening the application and navigating to Help > About InCopy
- 2. If the installed version is 17.0 through 17.4, or 18.0, the system is vulnerable
- 3. Download the latest version of Adobe InCopy from the official Adobe website at adobe.com or through the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
- 4. Close all instances of Adobe InCopy before installing the update
- 5. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update
- 6. After installation, verify the version has been updated by checking Help > About InCopy again
- 7. Ensure the updated version is higher than 18.0 or the highest available stable release for your subscription tier
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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-2023-21594 — 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-2023-21594 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