CVE-2023-29309
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 InDesign versions ID18.3 (and earlier) and ID17.4.1 (and earlier) are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass mitigations such as ASLR. 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 InDesign contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in versions ID18.3 and earlier, and ID17.4.1 and earlier. The vulnerability allows disclosure of sensitive memory contents when a user opens a malicious file, which can be leveraged to bypass ASLR security mitigations. Successful exploitation requires user interaction but does not require elevated privileges.
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, < 17.4.2>= 18.0, < 18.4CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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.
-
Locate Adobe InDesign installationCheck common installation paths: Windows typically at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign 2022 or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign 2023; macOS typically at /Applications/Adobe InDesign 2022 or /Applications/Adobe InDesign 2023. Look for the InDesign.exe (Windows) or InDesign.app (macOS) executable.Affected if InDesign is installed on the system
-
Identify installed InDesign versionOn Windows, right-click InDesign.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab for Product Version. On macOS, right-click InDesign.app, select Get Info, and view the Version field under General. Alternatively, open InDesign and go to Help > About Adobe InDesign.Affected if A version number is displayed in the properties or About dialog
-
Compare against affected version rangesThe affected versions are: 17.0 through 17.4.1 (ID17 series) and 18.0 through 18.3 (ID18 series). Check if your installed version falls within either of these ranges. Versions below 17.0 are not listed as affected in the provided range.Affected if Installed version is 17.0 through 17.4.1 OR 18.0 through 18.3 (specifically < 17.4.2 and < 18.4)
-
Note the exploitation requirementThis vulnerability is triggered only when a user opens a specially crafted malicious file. The flaw exists in the parsing of such files. Determine whether users in your environment commonly open files from untrusted or unknown sources.Affected if Users have permission to open files and may receive files from external sources
A system is affected if Adobe InDesign version 17.0 through 17.4.1 or version 18.0 through 18.3 is installed, and users can open files from untrusted sources.
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 · scoped17.4.218.4
Organizations should update Adobe InDesign to the latest patched versions (ID18.4 and ID17.4.2 or later). Users should be trained to avoid opening files from untrusted or unknown sources, as exploitation requires victim interaction.
Adobe InDesign 17.4.2 or later for the 17.x line; Adobe InDesign 18.4 or later for the 18.x line
- 1. Close Adobe InDesign if it is currently running
- 2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to helpx.adobe.com/installation
- 3. Locate Adobe InDesign in your installed applications
- 4. Check current version by opening InDesign and going to Help > About InDesign
- 5. If version is 17.0 through 17.4.1, update to version 17.4.2 or later
- 6. If version is 18.0 through 18.3, update to version 18.4 or later
- 7. In Adobe Creative Cloud, click Update or Install to get the patched version
- 8. Restart InDesign after update completes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-29309 — 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-2023-29309 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data