CVE-2024-20783
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 · uneditedInDesign Desktop versions ID19.3, ID18.5.2 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 InDesign Desktop versions ID19.3, ID18.5.2 and earlier contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability that can be triggered by opening a maliciously crafted InDesign file, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution 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< 18.5.3>= 19.0, < 19.4CVSS 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
- 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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Identify InDesign installation directoryNavigate to the InDesign installation folder, typically C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign [version] on Windows. Locate the InDesign.exe executable.Affected if InDesign is installed on the system
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Determine installed InDesign versionRight-click InDesign.exe, select Properties, then go to the Details tab. Note the Product Version value shown there.Affected if The Product Version is 18.5.2 or earlier OR is 19.0, 19.1, 19.2, or 19.3
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Alternative version check via RegistryOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\InstallVersion. Check the (Default) string value for the installed version number.Affected if The registry value shows a version matching the affected ranges above
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Assess file opening exposureDetermine whether users in the environment open InDesign files from external or untrusted sources. This vulnerability is triggered by opening maliciously crafted .indd files.Affected if Users routinely open InDesign files from untrusted or unknown sources without verification
If the installed InDesign version falls within 18.5.2 or earlier, or 19.0 through 19.3, and users open InDesign files, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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 · scoped18.5.319.4
Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected InDesign files and should apply the vendor patch when available.
InDesign 18.5.3 or later for 18.x branch; InDesign 19.4 or later for 19.x branch
- 1. Determine your current InDesign version by launching InDesign and going to Help > About InDesign
- 2. If using InDesign version 18.x (such as 18.5.2 or earlier), upgrade to version 18.5.3 or later
- 3. If using InDesign version 19.x (such as 19.0 through 19.3), upgrade to version 19.4 or later
- 4. Download the updated version from the official Adobe website at helpx.adobe.com
- 5. Close all running InDesign instances before installing the update
- 6. Install the security update following the on-screen prompts
- 7. Restart InDesign after installation completes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-20783 — 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-2024-20783 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