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IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2026-34699

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 when parsing specially crafted files. An attacker can exploit this by convincing a user to open a malicious .indd file, potentially executing arbitrary code in the context of the current user's privileges.

MitigationUpdate InDesign to version 21.4 or later (or 20.5.4 or later for the 20.x branch). 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. Verify Adobe InDesign Desktop is installed
    On Windows, check Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign or look in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign. On Mac, check /Applications/ for Adobe InDesign.app
    Affected if InDesign is not installed on the system, the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Identify the installed InDesign version number
    On Windows, open the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\InstallVersion and read the 'Version' value. On Mac, right-click Adobe InDesign.app, select Get Info, and note the version number under 'Get Info'
    Affected if Unable to determine the version means you cannot assess exposure
  3. Compare your version against affected ranges
    Review the version number obtained: versions 20.5.3 and earlier are affected. Versions 21.0 through 21.3 are affected. Versions 20.5.4 and 21.4 and later are NOT affected
    Affected if Your installed version is less than 20.5.4 OR is 21.0 through 21.3, then your environment falls within the vulnerable range
  4. Assess file handling exposure
    Determine whether InDesign on this system is used to open files from external, untrusted, or unknown sources, as the vulnerability is triggered when opening a specially crafted malicious file
    Affected if The system routinely opens InDesign files from untrusted sources, the exploitability window is present

You are affected if Adobe InDesign Desktop is installed and the version is either below 20.5.4 or falls between 21.0 and 21.3 inclusive, and the application is used to open files from potentially untrusted sources.

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

Update InDesign to version 21.4 or later (or 20.5.4 or later for the 20.x branch). Until patched, avoid opening InDesign files from untrusted or unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe InDesign 20.5.4 or later, or 21.4 or later

  1. Close Adobe InDesign if currently running
  2. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to helpx.adobe.com
  3. Locate Adobe InDesign in your installed applications
  4. Check for available updates or download version 20.5.4 (for 20.x users) or version 21.4 or later (for 21.x users)
  5. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to update InDesign
  6. Restart Adobe InDesign after the update completes
Caveat Minor: Custom scripts or plugins should be tested for compatibility with the new version

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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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-2026-34699 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