Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-29309 affects Adobe InDesign and can expose sensitive memory when a user opens a malicious file. The main business risk is information disclosure that may help an attacker bypass protections such as ASLR. It is not listed as known exploited in the provided sources.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate-priority workstation risk. It is not evidenced as actively exploited, but exposed creative or marketing teams should be remediated promptly because malicious files can trigger memory disclosure.
Technical view
Adobe InDesign ID18.3 and earlier, and ID17.4.1 and earlier, contain a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read. The CVSS 3.1 score is 5.5 with required user interaction and high confidentiality impact. Sources state exploitation requires a victim to open a malicious file.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on workstations where Adobe InDesign is installed, especially users who receive or open external InDesign files. Servers and systems without InDesign are not indicated as affected by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation or CISA KEV listing. Exploitation requires user interaction: opening a malicious file. The vulnerability may disclose memory and assist bypassing mitigations such as ASLR.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Adobe advisory reference. Do not assume remote code execution, active exploitation, or fixed versions beyond what Adobe APSB23-38 states. Focus validation on installed InDesign versions and user file-handling exposure.
Mitigation direction
- Check Adobe APSB23-38 for the vendor-approved InDesign update guidance.
- Prioritize remediation for users handling external or client-supplied InDesign files.
- Avoid opening untrusted InDesign files until systems are remediated.
- Use normal email and endpoint controls to reduce malicious file delivery risk.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints with Adobe InDesign installed.
- Flag InDesign versions ID18.3 or earlier and ID17.4.1 or earlier.
- Confirm remediation status against Adobe APSB23-38 guidance.
- Review whether affected users routinely open external design files.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-125: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-29309 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N1.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb23-38.htmlCVE reference · vendor-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Out-of-bounds Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.