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IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-49543

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 19.5.1 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 ID19.5, ID18.5.4 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

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Adobe InDesign Desktop versions ID19.5, ID18.5.4 and earlier. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The attack requires user interaction, specifically that the victim opens a maliciously crafted InDesign file.

MitigationUsers should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected InDesign files. Organizations should ensure InDesign is updated to the latest patched version once released by Adobe.

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:<= 18.5.4>= 19.0, < 19.5.1

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. Identify installed InDesign version
    Open Adobe InDesign, go to Help > About InDesign, or check the version in the application title bar on launch. Alternatively, check the installed version via Control Panel > Programs and Features on Windows or Finder > Applications on macOS.
    Affected if Version is 18.5.4 or earlier, or falls between 19.0 and 19.5.0 (inclusive)
  2. Confirm InDesign executable path
    On Windows, typical path is C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign 2024\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe InDesign CS6\. On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe InDesign 2024/. Verify the executable name contains 'InDesign' and note the version folder.
    Affected if InDesign is installed in an accessible directory and the executable version matches the affected ranges
  3. Verify file handling is possible
    InDesign must be able to open .indd files. This is a core function and cannot be disabled. The vulnerability triggers when a user opens a maliciously crafted .indd file.
    Affected if A user can open .indd files with the installed InDesign version

You are affected if you have InDesign version 18.5.4 or earlier, or version 19.0 through 19.5.0, and you open a maliciously crafted InDesign file.

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 19.5.1 or later
Fixed in 19.5.1
Interim mitigation

Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected InDesign files. Organizations should ensure InDesign is updated to the latest patched version once released by Adobe.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe InDesign version 19.5.1 (or later)

  1. 1. Close all Adobe InDesign instances currently running
  2. 2. Back up any important InDesign documents and templates as a precautionary measure
  3. 3. Uninstall the current version of Adobe InDesign from the system
  4. 4. Download Adobe InDesign version 19.5.1 or later from the official Adobe website (helpx.adobe.com) or through the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
  5. 5. Install InDesign 19.5.1 by running the installer and following the on-screen prompts
  6. 6. Restart the computer after installation completes
  7. 7. Launch InDesign 19.5.1 and verify the application runs without errors
  8. 8. Test opening a few existing .indd files to confirm functionality is intact
Caveat Minimal risk - this is a security patch release; however, very old plugins or scripts may need verification for compatibility with version 19.x

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

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2024-49543 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