dbcve.org
IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-61824

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-11-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.5.1 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 20.5, 19.5.5 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 · moderate confidence

A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Adobe InDesign Desktop versions 20.5, 19.5.5 and earlier. When a victim opens a specially crafted malicious file, the buffer overflow can be triggered, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user's privileges.

MitigationUpdate InDesign to the patched version provided by Adobe. Avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited files, and implement application allowlisting where possible.

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:<= 19.5.5>= 20.0, < 20.5.1

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. Verify Adobe InDesign is installed
    Check for InDesign installation: On Windows, look for Adobe InDesign in Program Files/Adobe or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\InstallPath. On macOS, check /Applications/Adobe InDesign* for the application bundle.
    Affected if InDesign is not installed on the system - the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Determine installed InDesign version (Windows)
    Open Command Prompt and run: dir "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign*\*.exe" /s 2>nul | findstr "InDesign.exe" then right-click the executable, select Properties, and check the File Version tab. Alternatively, open InDesign and go to Help > About Adobe InDesign to see the exact version number.
    Affected if Version cannot be determined - cannot assess exposure
  3. Determine installed InDesign version (macOS)
    Open Terminal and run: ls /Applications | grep -i "indesign" then right-click the InDesign app in Applications, select Get Info, and check the version under Name & Extension. Alternatively, open InDesign and go to InDesign > About Adobe InDesign.
    Affected if Version cannot be determined - cannot assess exposure
  4. Compare version against affected ranges
    If version is 19.x.x: check if version number is 19.5.5 or lower. If version is 20.x.x: check if version is 20.0 through 20.5 (versions below 20.5.1 are affected). Versions 20.5.1 and later, or versions below 19.5.5 that are NOT 19.5.5, may have different patch status - consult Adobe security bulletin for clarification.
    Affected if Installed version is 19.5.5 or earlier, OR installed version is 20.0 through 20.5.0 - system is within affected version range

A user is affected if Adobe InDesign is installed and the installed version falls within 19.5.5 and below, or between 20.0 and 20.5.0 inclusive.

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 20.5.1 or later
Fixed in 20.5.1
Interim mitigation

Update InDesign to the patched version provided by Adobe. Avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited files, and implement application allowlisting where possible.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe InDesign 20.5.1 or later

  1. Backup all important InDesign files, templates, and documents before upgrading
  2. Navigate to the official Adobe InDesign download page at helpx.adobe.com or the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
  3. Download Adobe InDesign version 20.5.1 or later (the first fixed release)
  4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade
  5. After installation, verify the installed version by opening InDesign and checking Help > About InDesign to confirm it shows version 20.5.1 or higher
Caveat Review plugin compatibility before upgrading, as third-party InDesign plugins may require updates for the new version

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

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-61824 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2025-61824 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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