CVE-2022-30673 in InDesign
Summary
by MITRE • 09/16/2022
Adobe InDesign versions 16.4.2 (and earlier) and 17.3 (and earlier) are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass mitigations such as ASLR. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/18/2022
Adobe InDesign versions 16.4.2 and earlier as well as 17.3 and earlier contain a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability designated as CVE-2022-30673 that represents a significant security weakness in the desktop publishing application. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-125, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds read conditions that occur when software attempts to access memory locations beyond the bounds of allocated buffers or arrays. The flaw manifests when the application processes specially crafted malicious files that trigger improper memory validation during document parsing operations. This vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be leveraged to bypass critical security mitigations such as Address Space Layout Randomization which is designed to protect against exploitation by randomizing memory layout. The attack requires user interaction since victims must open the malicious file for the vulnerability to be exploited, making it a targeted attack vector that relies on social engineering or phishing techniques to deliver the malicious payload.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the document processing pipeline of Adobe InDesign where insufficient bounds checking allows memory access beyond intended buffer limits. When the application encounters malformed data structures in imported files, it fails to properly validate array indices or buffer sizes before accessing memory locations. This improper validation creates opportunities for attackers to craft malicious documents that cause the application to read memory contents from adjacent memory regions. The disclosed memory information can include sensitive data such as cryptographic keys, session tokens, or other confidential information stored in adjacent memory locations. The vulnerability's exploitation capability extends beyond simple information disclosure as it enables attackers to gather sufficient information to bypass security protections like ASLR, which randomizes memory addresses to prevent exploitation. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be combined with other techniques to achieve more sophisticated attacks including remote code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-30673 affects organizations that rely on Adobe InDesign for document creation and editing, particularly those in creative industries, publishing houses, and design firms that frequently exchange documents with external parties. The requirement for user interaction creates a realistic attack surface where adversaries can use spear-phishing campaigns or supply chain attacks to deliver malicious files to unsuspecting users. Security teams must consider the potential for privilege escalation if exploited in environments where InDesign runs with elevated privileges or where users have administrative rights on their systems. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions including both 16.x and 17.x release lines indicates that it was likely introduced in a common code base and affects a broad user population. Organizations using these versions should immediately implement security controls to monitor for suspicious document activity and consider network segmentation to limit potential lateral movement if exploitation occurs. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through script-based attacks and T1566 for social engineering delivery methods.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-30673 should include immediate patching of affected Adobe InDesign versions to the latest releases that contain the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement strict document validation policies that scan and quarantine suspicious files before they reach end users, particularly focusing on files from untrusted sources or external vendors. Network-based security controls such as email filtering and web proxies should be configured to block or quarantine documents with known malicious patterns or file extensions commonly associated with exploitation attempts. Security awareness training for users should emphasize the importance of not opening unexpected or suspicious files, particularly those received via email or downloaded from untrusted websites. System administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of unapproved software and monitor for unusual InDesign process behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify other potentially affected applications and ensure that their security monitoring systems can detect anomalous memory access patterns that might indicate exploitation of similar out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities.