CVE-2022-30654
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2022-30654 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe InCopy that could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. Users who open malicious files with vulnerable versions of InCopy are at risk. This affects users of Adobe InCopy versions 17.2 and earlier, and 16.4.1 and earlier.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe InCopy
📦 What is this software?
Incopy by Adobe
Incopy by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the current user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data exfiltration or malware installation on the affected workstation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions, potentially resulting in application crash only.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). Heap-based buffer overflows typically require more sophisticated exploitation than stack-based overflows.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 17.3 and 16.4.2
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/incopy/apsb22-29.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' tab. 3. Find Adobe InCopy and click 'Update'. 4. Alternatively, download updated version from Adobe website. 5. Restart computer after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable InCopy file associations
allPrevent InCopy from automatically opening potentially malicious files
Windows: assoc .incp=
macOS: duti -d com.adobe.InCopy .incp
Application sandboxing
allRun InCopy in restricted environment to limit potential damage
Windows: Use AppLocker to restrict InCopy execution
macOS: Use sandbox-exec or similar
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict email filtering to block suspicious attachments and documents
- Educate users about risks of opening untrusted files and implement least privilege access controls
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check InCopy version via Help > About InCopy menu. If version is 17.2 or earlier, or 16.4.1 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Windows: wmic product where name="Adobe InCopy" get version
macOS: /Applications/Adobe\ InCopy\ */Adobe\ InCopy.app/Contents/Info.plist | grep -A1 CFBundleShortVersionStringVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 17.3 or higher, or 16.4.2 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes with memory access violations
- Unexpected child processes spawned from InCopy
- Suspicious file access patterns
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from InCopy to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains after file open
SIEM Query:
source="*" (process_name="InCopy.exe" OR process_name="Adobe InCopy") AND (event_type="crash" OR event_type="process_create")