CVE-2021-45057
📋 TL;DR
Adobe InDesign versions 16.4 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in JPEG2000 file parsing. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening malicious JPEG2000 files, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the victim's privileges. This affects all users running vulnerable versions of Adobe InDesign.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe InDesign
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise via arbitrary code execution leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to user account compromise, data exfiltration, or malware installation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions, potentially only causing application crashes.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open malicious JPEG2000 files. No public exploit code has been disclosed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 16.4.1 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb22-05.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe InDesign. 2. Go to Help > Updates. 3. Install available updates to version 16.4.1 or later. 4. Restart the application.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Block JPEG2000 file extensions
allPrevent opening of JPEG2000 files via file extension blocking
Disable JPEG2000 file association
allRemove file association for JPEG2000 files in operating system settings
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user privileges to standard user accounts (not administrator)
- Implement application sandboxing or virtualization for InDesign usage
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check InDesign version via Help > About InDesign. If version is 16.4 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Not applicable - check via application GUIVerify Fix Applied:
Verify InDesign version is 16.4.1 or later via Help > About InDesign.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes when opening JPEG2000 files
- Unexpected child processes spawned from InDesign
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from InDesign process
SIEM Query:
Process creation events from indesign.exe with suspicious command line arguments or child processes