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IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-21157

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 19.5.2 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 ID20.0, ID19.5.1 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds write 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

Out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe InDesign Desktop versions ID20.0, ID19.5.1 and earlier allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a maliciously crafted file, running in the context of the current user.

MitigationApply Adobe security patch to upgrade InDesign to a fixed version, or ensure users do not open untrusted .indd files from 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:< 19.5.2= 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. Confirm Adobe InDesign is installed
    Check for InDesign installation: On Windows, look in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign [Version] or check Add/Remove Programs. On macOS, look in /Applications/Adobe InDesign [Version].
    Affected if InDesign is present on the system
  2. Identify installed InDesign version on Windows
    Open Windows Registry Editor (regedit) and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\InstallPath or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Adobe\InDesign\InstallPath. The version is typically stored in the version key at this location, or right-click the InDesign shortcut, select Properties, and check the Details tab for version information.
    Affected if Cannot determine version from registry or application properties
  3. Identify installed InDesign version on macOS
    Open Finder, go to /Applications, right-click Adobe InDesign, select Get Info, and check the version number displayed next to 'Version:' in the Info window.
    Affected if Cannot locate InDesign application or version information in Applications folder
  4. Compare version against affected range
    Check if the installed version is 20.0, or any version prior to 19.5.2 (such as 19.5.1, 19.5, 19.4, 18.x, 17.x, etc.). Affected versions are: = 20.0 or < 19.5.2.
    Affected if Installed version equals 20.0 or is less than 19.5.2 (for example, 19.5.1, 19.5, 19.4, 18.x, earlier)
  5. Determine if untrusted .indd files could be opened
    Verify whether the InDesign application is configured to open files from untrusted or unknown sources, or if users have the ability to open files downloaded from the internet or received via email. The vulnerability triggers when a user opens a maliciously crafted .indd file.
    Affected if Users can open .indd files from untrusted or unknown sources without additional scrutiny

The environment is affected if Adobe InDesign Desktop version 20.0 or any version prior to 19.5.2 is installed AND users can open untrusted or maliciously crafted .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 19.5.2 or later
Fixed in 19.5.2
Interim mitigation

Apply Adobe security patch to upgrade InDesign to a fixed version, or ensure users do not open untrusted .indd files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

InDesign 19.5.2 or later (or InDesign 20.x version beyond 20.0)

  1. 1. Close Adobe InDesign if it is currently running.
  2. 2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to the Adobe InDesign download page.
  3. 3. Locate Adobe InDesign in your installed applications.
  4. 4. Check for available updates - the application should show an update to version 19.5.2 or later.
  5. 5. Click Update to download and install the fixed version.
  6. 6. Alternatively, download the installer directly from helpx.adobe.com for InDesign version 19.5.2 or later.
  7. 7. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the upgrade.
  8. 8. Restart InDesign after the update completes.
Caveat Standard Adobe update - ensure backup of working files before major version upgrades

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-2025-21157 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