CVE-2023-29315
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 versions ID18.3 and earlier, and ID17.4.1 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that allows disclosure of sensitive memory contents. This memory disclosure can be leveraged by attackers to bypass security mitigations such as ASLR, potentially facilitating further exploitation. Successful exploitation requires user interaction—specifically, a victim must open a maliciously crafted 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.
-
Verify Adobe InDesign is installedCheck for Adobe InDesign installation by looking in standard locations: Windows typically at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign [version]\ or macOS at /Applications/Adobe InDesign [version]/. You can also check via the Windows Registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign) or macOS installed applications list.Affected if InDesign is not installed on the system.
-
Determine installed InDesign versionOn Windows, right-click the InDesign executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for version information. On macOS, right-click the InDesign app in Applications, select Get Info, and view the Version field. Alternatively, open InDesign and go to Help > About InDesign.Affected if The installed version falls within >= 17.0, < 17.4.2 or >= 18.0, < 18.4.
-
Confirm the vulnerability is exploitable only through filesUnderstand that exploitation requires a victim to open a maliciously crafted InDesign file (INDD). Check if users in your environment commonly open InDesign files from untrusted or external sources.Affected if Users routinely open InDesign files from unknown or untrusted sources without verification.
A system is affected if Adobe InDesign versions 17.0 through 17.4.1 or 18.0 through 18.3 are installed and users may 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 released by Adobe. Until patched, avoid opening InDesign files from untrusted or unknown sources, as exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious file.
InDesign 17.4.2+ or InDesign 18.4+ (depending on your major version line)
- 1. Verify current Adobe InDesign version by launching InDesign and navigating to Help > About Adobe InDesign
- 2. For InDesign 17.x users: Upgrade to version 17.4.2 or later
- 3. For InDesign 18.x users: Upgrade to version 18.4 or later
- 4. Download the update from the official Adobe InDesign version history page at helpx.adobe.com or use the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application to check for updates
- 5. Apply the update and restart InDesign
- 6. Confirm the installed version matches the target fixed version after update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-29315 — 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-2023-29315 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