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IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2026-34698

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.5.4 / 21.4 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 21.3, 20.5.3 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 confidence

Adobe InDesign Desktop versions 21.3, 20.5.3 and earlier contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability that can be triggered when a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationApply the vendor patch by updating InDesign to the latest version. Until patched, avoid opening InDesign files from untrusted or 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:< 20.5.4>= 21.0, < 21.4

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. Check installed InDesign version via application
    Open Adobe InDesign, go to Help > About InDesign. Note the full version number displayed (for example, 21.3.0).
    Affected if The version shown is 20.5.3 or earlier, or 21.0 through 21.3.x inclusive.
  2. Check InDesign version via Windows Registry
    Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\[version]\InstallVersion, or check HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\InDesign.exe\shell\open\command for the installed path. Right-click the version key and view the version string value.
    Affected if The version value is less than 20.5.4, or is 21.0, 21.1, 21.2, or 21.3.x.
  3. Check InDesign version via executable properties
    Locate the InDesign executable (typically in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign [Version]\InDesign.exe). Right-click the file, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Product Version.
    Affected if The product version shown is 20.5.3.x or earlier, or falls within 21.0.x through 21.3.x.
  4. Identify all InDesign installations on the system
    Search for InDesign installations by checking C:\Program Files\Adobe\ for folders named Adobe InDesign* and reviewing each subfolder's version. Also run `Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Adobe\InDesign\* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue` in PowerShell to list all registered versions.
    Affected if Any discovered installation has a version matching the affected ranges.

You are affected if any installed Adobe InDesign version is 20.5.3 or earlier, or falls between 21.0 and 21.3.x 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 20.5.4 / 21.4 or later
Fixed in 20.5.421.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch by updating InDesign to the latest version. Until patched, avoid opening InDesign files from untrusted or unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe InDesign 20.5.4 or later (20.x branch) OR Adobe InDesign 21.4 or later (21.x branch)

  1. 1. Open Adobe InDesign and navigate to Help > About InDesign to check your current version number
  2. 2. Close all open documents and save any unsaved work
  3. 3. Launch Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application and navigate to the Apps section
  4. 4. Find Adobe InDesign in your installed apps list
  5. 5. If an update is available, click the Update button next to InDesign
  6. 6. Alternatively, manually download the fixed version from helpx.adobe.com: InDesign 20.5.4 or later for version 20.x users, or InDesign 21.4 or later for version 21.x users
  7. 7. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update
  8. 8. After installation, restart InDesign and verify the version number matches the fixed release
Caveat Adobe updates typically maintain file format compatibility but test with critical workflows before deploying in production environments; some third-party plugins may require updates for newer versions

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

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2026-34698 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