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IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-39389

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.5.3 / 19.5 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
InDesign Desktop versions ID19.4, ID18.5.2 and earlier are affected by a Stack-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 confidence

Adobe InDesign Desktop versions ID19.4, ID18.5.2 and earlier contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that can be triggered when a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, leading to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationUpdate InDesign to the latest patched version via Adobe's official update mechanism or download center; avoid opening untrusted .indd files from unknown sources.

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
IndesignApplication
Affected:< 18.5.3>= 19.0, < 19.5

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate InDesign installation directory
    On Windows, check C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign <version> or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe InDesign <version>. On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe InDesign <version>. Identify the installed version number from the folder name.
    Affected if The folder name shows an affected version (< 18.5.3 or 19.0 to 19.4.x)
  2. Retrieve exact installed version via executable
    On Windows, right-click the InDesign.exe file in the installation folder, select Properties, and view the Details tab for Product Version. On macOS, right-click Adobe InDesign.app, select Get Info, and check the Version field under General.
    Affected if The reported version matches < 18.5.3 or falls within 19.0 to 19.5 (excluding 19.5)
  3. Check version via Help menu in application
    Launch InDesign if available, click Help > About Adobe InDesign (or Adobe InDesign CC2024/2025 depending on version), and note the exact version string displayed in the dialog.
    Affected if The About dialog shows a version that is < 18.5.3 or >= 19.0 but < 19.5
  4. Verify registry version on Windows
    Open Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\InstallVersion (or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Adobe\InDesign for 32-bit on 64-bit Windows), and read the Version value.
    Affected if The registry Version value is less than 18.5.3 or between 19.0 and 19.4.x

You are affected if InDesign is installed and its version is either below 18.5.3 or falls within the 19.0 to 19.4.x range, since the vulnerability triggers when opening a malicious .indd file with these versions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 18.5.3 / 19.5 or later
Fixed in 18.5.319.5
Interim mitigation

Update InDesign to the latest patched version via Adobe's official update mechanism or download center; avoid opening untrusted .indd files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

InDesign 18.5.3 or later (18.x branch); InDesign 19.5 or later (19.x branch)

  1. Close Adobe InDesign completely before starting the update
  2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or visit the official Adobe downloads page at helpx.adobe.com
  3. For InDesign 18.x branch users: Download and install version 18.5.3 or later
  4. For InDesign 19.x branch users: Download and install version 19.5 or later
  5. Launch InDesign after installation completes
  6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the minimum fixed version for your branch
Caveat Users should review plugin compatibility and custom scripts after major version upgrades

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-39389 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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