CVE-2023-47076 in InDesign
Summary
by MITRE • 12/13/2023
Adobe InDesign versions 19.0 (and earlier) and 17.4.2 (and earlier) are affected by a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to achieve an application denial-of-service in the context of the current user. 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 • 01/04/2024
Adobe InDesign applications running version 19.0 and earlier, as well as version 17.4.2 and earlier, contain a critical NULL pointer dereference vulnerability that presents significant security risks for end users. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-476 category, which specifically addresses null pointer dereference conditions that can lead to application instability and potential system compromise. The flaw exists within the application's file processing mechanisms, where the software fails to properly validate input data when handling specially crafted documents.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when InDesign attempts to process a malicious file that contains crafted data structures designed to trigger a null pointer dereference. When the application encounters this malformed input during normal document opening procedures, it attempts to access a memory location that has not been properly initialized or allocated, resulting in an application crash or denial-of-service condition. This particular weakness represents a classic software bug where the program does not adequately check for null references before attempting to dereference pointers, a fundamental error in defensive programming practices.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application instability to potentially enable more sophisticated attack vectors. While exploitation requires user interaction through opening a malicious file, this requirement does not significantly reduce the threat level given that users frequently encounter and open various document types from different sources. The vulnerability affects the application's ability to maintain stable operation, potentially allowing attackers to disrupt business processes or create conditions for further exploitation. The denial-of-service condition can be particularly disruptive in professional environments where InDesign is used for critical design workflows and document production tasks.
The attack surface for this vulnerability is primarily through social engineering campaigns targeting end users who may inadvertently open malicious files. Attackers could distribute infected documents through email attachments, file sharing platforms, or compromised websites, exploiting the user interaction requirement to achieve their objectives. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of broader attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the execution and privilege escalation domains, as successful exploitation could potentially pave the way for more advanced attacks. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures and user education initiatives to mitigate the risk of exploitation.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of available security patches from Adobe, which address the underlying null pointer dereference issue by implementing proper input validation and pointer checking mechanisms. Network security controls such as email filtering and web proxy configurations can help reduce the likelihood of users encountering malicious files. Additionally, implementing application whitelisting policies and restricting user permissions can limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to ensure that all instances of the affected software are properly updated and monitored for similar vulnerabilities that may exist in the broader Adobe ecosystem.