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IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-41852

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 maliciously crafted file. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationApply available Adobe security updates for InDesign. Until patches are available, instruct users not to open untrusted or unexpected InDesign files and consider implementing application whitelisting or network isolation for affected systems.

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. Determine installed InDesign version
    Open InDesign, go to Help > About Adobe InDesign, or on Windows open Command Prompt and run: dir "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign*" /b /ad. On macOS, run: ls /Applications | grep -i indesign
    Affected if Version number returned is less than 18.5.3 OR is 19.0 through 19.4.x
  2. Confirm specific version number
    The About dialog or directory listing will show the full version (e.g., 18.5.2, 19.4.0). Note the major.minor.patch numbers precisely.
    Affected if Version is 18.5.2 or earlier, OR 19.0, 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, or 19.4.x
  3. Verify file handling is enabled (default state)
    InDesign can open and process files by default. No special configuration is required for the vulnerability to trigger when a user opens a crafted file.
    Affected if Users can open files in InDesign (this is the default behavior)

You are affected if InDesign version is 18.5.2 or earlier, or any version from 19.0 through 19.4.x, and users can open files (default behavior).

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 available Adobe security updates for InDesign. Until patches are available, instruct users not to open untrusted or unexpected InDesign files and consider implementing application whitelisting or network isolation for affected systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

InDesign 18.5.3 or later for version 18.x line; InDesign 19.5 or later for version 19.x line

  1. 1. Close all running Adobe InDesign instances
  2. 2. Open a web browser and navigate to the official Adobe download page at helpx.adobe.com
  3. 3. Locate and download the appropriate version of Adobe InDesign: If using version 18.x, download version 18.5.3 or later; if using version 19.x, download version 19.5 or later
  4. 4. Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
  5. 5. After installation, verify the installed version by opening InDesign and navigating to Help > About Adobe InDesign
  6. 6. Ensure the version displayed matches or exceeds the fixed release (18.5.3 or 19.5)
Caveat Review Adobe's release notes for version 19.5 for any document format or scripting compatibility changes before upgrading production workflows

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

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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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-2024-41852 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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