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IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-41853

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

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Adobe InDesign Desktop versions ID19.4, ID18.5.2 and earlier. When a user opens a specially crafted malicious .indd file, the heap overflow occurs, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the currently logged-on user.

MitigationOrganizations should deploy the vendor patch from Adobe to update InDesign to a non-vulnerable version. Additionally, implement user awareness training to prevent opening of untrusted files, and consider application whitelining to block execution of malicious payloads delivered via this attack vector.

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. Verify InDesign is installed
    Check for Adobe InDesign installation by looking for the application in typical installation paths (C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign*) or by querying the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign
    Affected if No InDesign installation found means not affected by this CVE
  2. Determine installed InDesign version
    Open Adobe InDesign, go to Help > About InDesign, or right-click the InDesign executable and select Properties > Details to view the Product Version
    Affected if Unable to determine version means the vulnerability status cannot be assessed
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Check if the installed version is less than 18.5.3, or falls between 19.0 and 19.4 inclusive. Vulnerable versions: < 18.5.3 OR (>= 19.0 AND < 19.5)
    Affected if Version falls within < 18.5.3 or >= 19.0 and < 19.5 means the environment is vulnerable to this CVE
  4. Assess user exposure to malicious .indd files
    Determine if users routinely open .indd files from untrusted sources, external email attachments, or download locations. Check email security filters and endpoint protection policies for file type handling
    Affected if Users can open untrusted .indd files without scanning or validation increases the likelihood of successful exploitation

The environment is affected if Adobe InDesign is installed with a version below 18.5.3 or between 19.0 and 19.4, and users can open untrusted or malicious .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

Organizations should deploy the vendor patch from Adobe to update InDesign to a non-vulnerable version. Additionally, implement user awareness training to prevent opening of untrusted files, and consider application whitelining to block execution of malicious payloads delivered via this attack vector.

Recommended fix High confidence

InDesign 18.5.3 (ID18.x) or InDesign 19.5+ (ID19.x)

  1. 1. Open Adobe InDesign on your system
  2. 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates (or use Creative Cloud desktop app)
  3. 3. If updates are available, download and install InDesign version 18.5.3 or later for the ID18.x branch
  4. 4. Alternatively, if using ID19.x branch, upgrade to version 19.5 or later
  5. 5. Restart your system after installation
  6. 6. Verify the installed version matches the fixed release (Help > About Adobe InDesign)
Caveat Minor release upgrades typically preserve settings and preferences; however, always backup important InDesign documents before upgrading

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.

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-2024-41853 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