CVE-2023-29312
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 · moderate confidenceAdobe InDesign versions ID18.3 and earlier, and ID17.4.1 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could allow disclosure of sensitive memory contents. This memory disclosure can potentially be leveraged to bypass ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) mitigations. Successful exploitation requires a user to open a maliciously crafted InDesign file.
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.
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Determine installed InDesign versionOpen Adobe InDesign, then go to Help > About InDesign (on Windows) or InDesign > About InDesign (on Mac). The version number is displayed in the dialog that opens.Affected if The displayed version is 17.x prior to 17.4.2, or 18.x prior to 18.4
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Check version via installer or systemIf InDesign is not running, check the installed version through the system's installed programs list (Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or macOS Applications folder Get Info), or locate the installer log file.Affected if The listed version falls within 17.0 to 17.4.1 inclusive, or 18.0 to 18.3 inclusive
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Verify the full version stringConfirm the exact minor version number shown (for example, 17.4.1, 18.0, 18.2). Version 17.4.2 and 18.4 are the first patched releases.Affected if The version is less than 17.4.2 or less than 18.4 (for the respective major version branches)
You are affected if InDesign version is 17.0 through 17.4.1 or 18.0 through 18.3, and you 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
Update Adobe InDesign to the latest patched version. Avoid opening InDesign files from untrusted or unknown sources, as exploitation requires user interaction.
Adobe InDesign 17.4.2 or later 17.x release; Adobe InDesign 18.4 or later 18.x release
- Check current InDesign version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About InDesign
- Close InDesign completely before installing any updates
- Download Adobe InDesign version 17.4.2 (or later within the 17.x branch) from the official Adobe website at helpx.adobe.com
- Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
- Alternatively, open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application and navigate to the Updates section to install the available InDesign update
- Restart InDesign after the update completes to ensure all components are properly installed
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-2023-29312 — 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-2023-29312 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data