CVE-2023-29310 in InDesign
Summary
by MITRE • 07/12/2023
Adobe InDesign versions ID18.3 (and earlier) and ID17.4.1 (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 • 07/12/2023
Adobe InDesign versions ID18.3 and earlier as well as ID17.4.1 and earlier contain a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that poses significant security risks to affected systems. This vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption flaws that can be exploited to extract sensitive information from the application's memory space. The technical nature of this issue stems from insufficient bounds checking within the application's processing logic for handling specific file formats. When a malicious file is opened by an unsuspecting user, the application attempts to read data beyond the allocated memory boundaries, potentially exposing confidential information stored in adjacent memory locations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can be leveraged to circumvent modern exploit mitigations such as Address Space Layout Randomization. This occurs because the out-of-bounds read can reveal memory addresses that are typically randomized by ASLR, effectively allowing attackers to gain knowledge of the application's memory layout. The vulnerability requires user interaction to be exploited, meaning that a victim must willingly open a specially crafted malicious file, which makes it particularly dangerous in social engineering scenarios. Attackers can craft files that trigger the vulnerable code path when processed by the application, leading to potential information leakage that could be used for further exploitation attempts.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array indices, and demonstrates how insufficient input validation can lead to memory safety issues. The attack surface is primarily through file processing, making it consistent with ATT&CK technique T1204.002 for "User Execution: Malicious File." The vulnerability represents a significant concern for organizations that rely heavily on Adobe InDesign for document creation and editing, as it could be exploited to compromise sensitive design files, company assets, or intellectual property. Organizations should consider implementing additional security controls such as file validation, restricted user permissions, and network segmentation to reduce the potential impact of exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing robust patch management processes to ensure that known security flaws are promptly addressed.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires careful crafting of malicious files that can trigger the specific code path leading to the out-of-bounds read condition. Security researchers have noted that the vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can potentially be chained with other exploits to achieve more sophisticated attack objectives. The memory disclosure aspect means that attackers could potentially extract encryption keys, authentication tokens, or other sensitive data that might be stored in memory. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where InDesign is used to process sensitive documents or when users have elevated privileges within the organization's network infrastructure. Organizations should prioritize patching this vulnerability as soon as possible, as the window of opportunity for exploitation increases with the duration of the vulnerability's presence in the wild.