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IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-49507

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.5.3 / 20.0 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 ID18.5.2, ID19.5 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 ID18.5.2, ID19.5 and earlier contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability during file parsing. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the victim user, achieved by tricking the user into opening a malicious InDesign (.indd) file.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for InDesign (ID18.5.2 and ID19.5 and earlier). Until patched, instruct users not to open InDesign files from untrusted or unknown sources.

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, < 20.0

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 Adobe InDesign is installed
    Check for InDesign installation by looking in typical program directories: Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign*, Mac: /Applications/Adobe InDesign* or via registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign in Windows
    Affected if InDesign is not installed on the system
  2. Determine installed InDesign version
    Windows: Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\InstallVersion, check the value of 'Version' string. Alternatively, right-click the InDesign executable in Program Files and select Properties > Details tab to view File Version
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or no InstallVersion registry key exists
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Compare the installed version number to the vulnerable ranges: versions below 18.5.3 (18.x.y where y < 3) or versions 19.0 through 19.5.x (including 19.5) are affected. Note that version 20.0 and later are NOT affected
    Affected if Installed version is < 18.5.3 OR (installed version >= 19.0 AND installed version < 20.0)
  4. Assess risk of opening untrusted .indd files
    Determine if users in the environment routinely open InDesign files from external or untrusted sources. Check email filters, attachment policies, or user training materials about handling unsolicited files
    Affected if Users routinely open .indd files from untrusted or unknown sources without verification

System is affected if Adobe InDesign is installed with a version below 18.5.3 or between 19.0 and 20.0 (exclusive), and users may open .indd files from untrusted sources.

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 / 20.0 or later
Fixed in 18.5.320.0
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches for InDesign (ID18.5.2 and ID19.5 and earlier). Until patched, instruct users not to open InDesign files from untrusted or unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe InDesign version 20.0

  1. 1. Close Adobe InDesign if it is currently running
  2. 2. Navigate to the Adobe InDesign download page at helpx.adobe.com or open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
  3. 3. Locate Adobe InDesign in your installed applications
  4. 4. Check for available updates - the patch should show version 20.0 as the available update
  5. 5. Initiate the update to version 20.0
  6. 6. Wait for the download and installation to complete
  7. 7. Restart your computer if prompted
  8. 8. After relaunching, verify the installed version by going to Help > About InDesign to confirm version 20.0 is installed
Caveat Upgrading to major version 20.0 may require reactivation of license and could have minor feature changes; ensure backup of working files and preferences before upgrade

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

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $2,000
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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-2024-49507 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