CVE-2024-39390
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 ID19.4, ID18.5.2 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds write 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 ID19.4, ID18.5.2 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction where a victim must open a specially crafted malicious 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< 18.5.3>= 19.0, < 19.5CVSS 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 installed Adobe InDesign versionLocate the InDesign application in the system (typically in Program Files on Windows or Applications folder on macOS), right-click the executable, and select Properties to view the File Version. Alternatively, open InDesign and go to Help > About Adobe InDesign to display the full version number.Affected if version number is not visible or cannot be determined from the application
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Compare version against affected rangesNote the exact version number displayed (for example, 18.5.1, 19.0, 19.4, etc.) and compare it to the vulnerable ranges: any version below 18.5.3, or any version from 19.0 up to but not including 19.5.Affected if installed version is less than 18.5.3 OR installed version is 19.0 through 19.4.x
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Verify exploitation preconditionConfirm that the system runs InDesign and that users can open external .indd or .idml files from the application. This vulnerability requires a user to explicitly open a maliciously crafted file within InDesign.Affected if users have the ability to open files from untrusted or external sources in InDesign
A system is affected if Adobe InDesign Desktop is installed with a version below 18.5.3 or between 19.0 and 19.4.x inclusive, 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 · scoped18.5.319.5
Update Adobe InDesign to the latest patched version. Additionally, train users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires user interaction.
InDesign 18.5.3 (for 18.x branch) or InDesign 19.5 (for 19.x branch)
- 1. Determine your current InDesign version by opening InDesign and going to Help > About InDesign
- 2. If your version is 18.5.2 or earlier (18.x branch), upgrade to version 18.5.3
- 3. If your version is 19.0 through 19.4 (19.x branch), upgrade to version 19.5
- 4. Download the appropriate version from the official Adobe website or your licensed Creative Cloud desktop application
- 5. Close all Adobe applications before installing the update
- 6. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the upgrade
- 7. After installation, verify the version by checking Help > About InDesign to confirm the fix is applied
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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-2024-39390 — 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-2024-39390 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