CVE-2025-27177
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 ID20.1, ID19.5.2 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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe InDesign Desktop allows arbitrary code execution when a victim opens a specially crafted malicious file. The overflow occurs on the heap memory region, enabling an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.
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< 19.5.3>= 20.0, < 20.2CVSS 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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Verify Adobe InDesign is installedCheck for InDesign installation on the system. On Windows, look in common program directories or use system inventory tools (e.g., registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign, or check C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign). On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe InDesign or ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe.Affected if Adobe InDesign software is found on the system.
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Determine installed InDesign version numberOpen Adobe InDesign and navigate to Help > About InDesign, or right-click the InDesign executable and select Properties > Details to view the version. Alternatively, check the Windows registry key or the application info.plist file on macOS.Affected if A specific version number can be retrieved from the installation.
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Compare version against affected rangesReview the version number obtained. The affected version ranges are: any version less than 19.5.3, OR any version from 20.0 up to but not including 20.2. Compare your installed version string numerically against these thresholds.Affected if The installed version is less than 19.5.3, OR is 20.0 or higher but less than 20.2.
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Identify if file parsing features are in useThis vulnerability is triggered when opening specially crafted files. Review whether the system routinely processes InDesign files (IDML, INDD) from external or untrusted sources, as the exploit requires a victim to open a malicious file.Affected if Users on this system routinely open InDesign files from untrusted or external sources without prior validation.
A system is affected if Adobe InDesign is installed and the installed version falls below 19.5.3 or is between 20.0 and 20.2 (inclusive of 20.0, exclusive of 20.2).
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 · scoped19.5.320.2
Do not open untrusted or unexpected InDesign files. Apply vendor security updates from Adobe immediately to patch the vulnerability. Consider enterprise patch management solutions to ensure rapid deployment.
InDesign 19.5.3 or 20.2
- Close Adobe InDesign if it is currently running
- Navigate to the official Adobe security bulletin at helpx.adobe.com to obtain the update
- Download Adobe InDesign version 19.5.3 (for 19.x users) or version 20.2 (for 20.x users)
- Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to update InDesign
- Restart InDesign after the update completes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-27177 — 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-2025-27177 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data