dbcve.org
IncopyApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-54221

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 19.5.5 / 20.5 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
InCopy versions 20.4, 19.5.4 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

Adobe InCopy versions 20.4, 19.5.4 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a maliciously crafted file. The vulnerability executes in the context of the current user, making it suitable for targeted attacks via phishing or compromised document distribution.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch for InCopy when available; until then, instruct users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources and consider disabling file associations or using application sandboxing for additional protection.

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
IncopyApplication
Affected:< 19.5.5>= 20.0, < 20.5

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. Find installed Adobe InCopy version
    Open Adobe InCopy, then go to Help > About InCopy (or use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+I). Alternatively, check the Windows Programs and Features list or macOS Applications folder for the version number displayed.
    Affected if The displayed version is 20.4, 19.5.4, or any version earlier than 19.5.5, or is 20.0 through 20.4 (falls within >= 20.0 and < 20.5)
  2. Verify InCopy installation via command line
    On Windows, run 'wmic product where "name like '%InCopy%'" get version, name' in Command Prompt. On macOS, run 'defaults read /Applications/Adobe\ InCopy\ */Adobe\ InCopy.app/Contents/Info CFBundleVersion' in Terminal.
    Affected if The returned version number matches the affected ranges (< 19.5.5 or >= 20.0 and < 20.5)
  3. Confirm InCopy is actively used or installed in your environment
    Search for InCopy executables: on Windows, check C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InCopy*\*.exe; on macOS, check /Applications/Adobe InCopy*/Adobe InCopy.app. Use PowerShell 'Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Program Files\Adobe" -Filter "InCopy*" -Recurse' or macOS 'find /Applications -name "*InCopy*" -type d'.
    Affected if InCopy executables are found and their version falls within the affected ranges from step 1 or 2

You are affected if Adobe InCopy is installed with any version before 19.5.5 or between 20.0 and 20.4, as these versions contain the out-of-bounds write vulnerability triggered when opening maliciously crafted 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 19.5.5 / 20.5 or later
Fixed in 19.5.520.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch for InCopy when available; until then, instruct users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources and consider disabling file associations or using application sandboxing for additional protection.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe InCopy 19.5.5 or 20.5 (or later)

  1. 1. Determine the current installed version of Adobe InCopy by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe InCopy
  2. 2. Close Adobe InCopy and any Adobe Creative Cloud applications
  3. 3. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to helpx.adobe.com/incopy/
  4. 4. Download Adobe InCopy version 19.5.5 (if staying on version 19.x) or version 20.5 or later (if staying on version 20.x)
  5. 5. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update
  6. 6. Restart the computer if prompted
  7. 7. Verify the updated version by checking Help > About Adobe InCopy to confirm the installation was successful
Caveat No major breaking changes expected; this is a security patch update

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

Fix this in Incopy Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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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-2025-54221 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