CVE-2023-21619
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 · uneditedFrameMaker 2020 Update 4 (and earlier), 2022 (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 confidenceAdobe FrameMaker contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability allowing arbitrary code execution when a user opens a maliciously crafted .fm file. The vulnerability affects FrameMaker 2020 Update 4 and earlier as well as FrameMaker 2022 and earlier versions.
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<= 2020.0.4= 2022CVSS 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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Locate Adobe FrameMaker installationOn Windows, check C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe FrameMaker <version> or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe FrameMaker <version>. On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe FrameMaker <version>. Note the version folder name.Affected if FrameMaker is installed in any version folder
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Determine exact FrameMaker version numberOpen FrameMaker and go to Help > About Adobe FrameMaker, or right-click the executable (framemaker.exe on Windows, FrameMaker on macOS) and select Properties > Details to view the Product Version.Affected if The version shown is 2020.0.4 or earlier, or exactly 2022
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Compare against affected version rangesCheck if the installed version falls into: (1) any release up to and including 2020.0.4, or (2) any 2022.x release. These are the vulnerable versions.Affected if Installed version is 2020.0.4 or lower, or is any 2022 version (e.g., 2022.0.0, 2022.0.1, etc.)
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Verify .fm file handling is presentConfirm the FrameMaker installation includes the capability to open .fm files - this is the native document format and is enabled by default in unpatched installations.Affected if FrameMaker can open and parse .fm files (default behavior in vulnerable versions)
A system is affected if Adobe FrameMaker version 2020.0.4 or earlier, or any 2022 version, is installed and can open .fm files.
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.
From vendor dataApply the vendor security patch from Adobe to update to a fixed version of FrameMaker. Until patched, warn users against opening untrusted FrameMaker documents and consider deploying additional endpoint detection capabilities.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21619 — 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-2023-21619 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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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.
- 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
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