CVE-2022-30659
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe InDesign that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a victim's system. The vulnerability affects users of Adobe InDesign versions 17.2.1 and earlier, and 16.4.1 and earlier. Exploitation requires user interaction through opening a malicious file.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe InDesign
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full 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 or malware installation on the affected workstation, potentially leading to data exfiltration or persistence mechanisms.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions, potentially resulting in application crash rather than code execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code has been identified as of analysis date.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 17.3 and 16.4.2
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb22-30.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Creative Cloud application. 2. Navigate to 'Apps' section. 3. Find Adobe InDesign and click 'Update'. 4. Follow on-screen prompts to complete installation. 5. Restart computer if prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict InDesign file execution
allBlock execution of InDesign files from untrusted sources using application control policies.
User awareness training
allTrain users to only open InDesign files from trusted sources and verify file integrity.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of malicious InDesign files
- Run InDesign with reduced user privileges using application sandboxing or restricted accounts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check InDesign version via Help > About InDesign menu. If version is 17.2.1 or earlier, or 16.4.1 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\[Version]\InstallPath. On macOS: Check /Applications/Adobe InDesign [Version]/Verify Fix Applied:
Verify InDesign version is 17.3 or later, or 16.4.2 or later via Help > About InDesign menu.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected InDesign crashes
- Suspicious file opens in InDesign from unusual locations
- Process creation from InDesign with unusual command lines
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from InDesign process to suspicious IPs
- DNS requests for known malicious domains from InDesign
SIEM Query:
process_name:"InDesign.exe" AND (event_type:process_creation OR event_type:file_access) AND (file_path:*malicious* OR parent_process:unusual)