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IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-41850

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 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 confidence

Adobe InDesign Desktop versions ID19.4, ID18.5.2 and earlier contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability that can be triggered by opening a maliciously crafted file, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationApply Adobe's security update to obtain the latest patched version of InDesign; avoid opening untrusted .indd files until the patch is deployed.

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 the InDesign executable
    On Windows, check C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign*\InDesign.exe. On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe InDesign*/Adobe InDesign.app. Note the full path and file size/timestamp.
    Affected if The executable exists and the version falls within < 18.5.3 or >= 19.0 and < 19.5.
  2. Retrieve the installed InDesign version number
    Right-click the InDesign.exe (Windows) or Adobe InDesign.app (Mac) and select Properties, then Details. Alternatively, open InDesign and go to Help > About Adobe InDesign to see the exact version (e.g., 19.4, 18.5.2, 19.0).
    Affected if The version shown is ID18.5.2 or earlier, or any version from 19.0 through 19.4.
  3. Compare your version to the vulnerable ranges
    Cross-reference the version number from step 2 against these vulnerable ranges: versions earlier than 18.5.3, or versions 19.0 through 19.4. Versions 18.5.3 and 19.5 or later are patched.
    Affected if Your installed version matches < 18.5.3 or falls within >= 19.0 and < 19.5.
  4. Confirm .indd file handling is present
    Verify that the InDesign installation includes handlers for .indd files. On Windows, check HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.indd in Registry Editor. On Mac, verify the app bundle contains the document type definitions.
    Affected if The .indd file association exists, meaning the vulnerable file-opening functionality is present in your environment.

You are affected if your installed Adobe InDesign version is earlier than 18.5.3, or falls between 19.0 and 19.4 inclusive, and you have the ability to open .indd files.

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

Apply Adobe's security update to obtain the latest patched version of InDesign; avoid opening untrusted .indd files until the patch is deployed.

Recommended fix High confidence

InDesign 18.5.3+ (18.x branch) or InDesign 19.5+ (19.x branch)

  1. Verify current InDesign version via Help > About InDesign
  2. If version is 18.x (18.5.2 or earlier): upgrade to version 18.5.3 or later
  3. If version is 19.x (19.0 through 19.4.x): upgrade to version 19.5 or later
  4. Download the updated version from Adobe's official website (helpx.adobe.com) or use the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application to update
  5. Run the installer and follow prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. Restart InDesign after installation completes
  7. Confirm the new version by checking Help > About InDesign
Caveat Adobe updates typically include new features and may have minor UI changes; ensure compatibility with existing workflows and plugins

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

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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-2024-41850 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