CVE-2024-45137
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 19.4, 18.5.3 and earlier are affected by an Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by uploading a malicious file which, when executed, could run arbitrary code in the context of the server. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction.
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 · moderate confidenceAdobe InDesign Desktop versions 19.4 and earlier contain an unrestricted file upload vulnerability in its import functionality. The application fails to properly validate file types during upload, allowing attackers to upload malicious executable files that can be triggered to achieve arbitrary code execution on the victim's system.
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< 18.5.4>= 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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Check installed InDesign version on WindowsOpen Windows Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\InstallVersion or check the version in Programs and Features. Alternatively, launch InDesign and go to Help > About InDesign to view the exact version number.Affected if The installed version is less than 18.5.4, or is 19.0 through 19.4 (anything less than 19.5)
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Check installed InDesign version on macOSOpen Finder, navigate to Applications > Adobe InDesign, right-click and select Get Info, or launch InDesign and go to InDesign menu > About InDesign to view the version number.Affected if The installed version is less than 18.5.4, or is 19.0 through 19.4 (anything less than 19.5)
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Verify if import functionality is accessibleIn InDesign, check if the File > Import (or Place) feature is available. This is the function where the unrestricted upload vulnerability exists. Users with limited permissions or disabled import features may have reduced exposure.Affected if The import/place functionality is enabled and accessible to users who can open or import files from untrusted sources
If the installed InDesign version falls below 18.5.4 or is between 19.0 and 19.4, and the import/place file functionality is accessible to users, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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 · scoped18.5.419.5
Organizations should upgrade to the patched version of InDesign Desktop as specified in Adobe's security bulletin. Until patched, users should avoid opening or importing files from untrusted sources and disable automatic file opening features.
InDesign 18.5.4 or InDesign 19.5 or later
- Check the current InDesign version: On Windows, go to Help > About InDesign; on macOS, go to InDesign > About InDesign
- If version is 18.5.3 or earlier, or between 19.0 and 19.4, download and install InDesign version 18.5.4 or version 19.5 (or later) from the official Adobe website
- Verify the installation by checking the version number again after updating
- Ensure users are aware not to open suspicious files from untrusted sources to mitigate the user interaction requirement for exploitation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-45137 — 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-2024-45137 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
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