CVE-2022-34251
📋 TL;DR
Adobe InCopy versions 17.2 and earlier (macOS/Windows) and 16.4.1 and earlier (macOS/Windows) contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that could allow arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious file. Attackers could gain the same privileges as the current user, potentially leading to system compromise. This affects users who open untrusted InCopy documents.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe InCopy
📦 What is this software?
Incopy by Adobe
Incopy by Adobe
⚠️ 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 persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data exfiltration or malware installation when users open malicious documents from untrusted sources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper patching and user education preventing malicious document execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code available at time of advisory.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 17.3 for version 17.x, 16.4.2 for version 16.x
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/incopy/apsb22-29.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe InCopy. 2. Go to Help > Updates. 3. Follow prompts to install available updates. 4. Restart InCopy after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable InCopy file associations
allPrevent automatic opening of InCopy files by changing file associations
Windows: Control Panel > Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program
macOS: Right-click .incx file > Get Info > Open With > Change
User education and policy
allTrain users to avoid opening InCopy files from untrusted sources
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user permissions to limit potential damage from code execution
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized executables from running
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check InCopy version via Help > About InCopy. 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 for version 17.x, or 16.4.2 or higher for version 16.x.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected InCopy crashes
- Suspicious child processes spawned from InCopy
- Unusual file access patterns from InCopy process
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from InCopy process to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains from InCopy
SIEM Query:
process_name:"incopy.exe" AND (event_type:"process_creation" OR event_type:"crash")