Adobe InDesign is a widely-used professional desktop publishing software, relied on by designers and corporations around the globe. However, like many complex applications, it is not immune to security risks. In this article, we’ll dive deep into CVE-2022-28833, an out-of-bounds write vulnerability affecting Adobe InDesign, understand how such vulnerabilities can be exploited, see a proof-of-concept, and discuss how users can protect themselves.

What Is CVE-2022-28833?

CVE-2022-28833 is a security flaw classified as an out-of-bounds write vulnerability. This means the application writes more data to a memory buffer than it was intended to, potentially allowing an attacker to overwrite critical information in memory.

Adobe InDesign 16.4.1 (and earlier)

If a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, an attacker could potentially execute arbitrary code within the security context of the user running InDesign.

How Exploitation Works

For this vulnerability to be exploited, the victim must open a malicious InDesign (.indd) file crafted by the attacker. No privilege escalation or additional vulnerabilities are needed; it's a classic "user opens bad file" scenario.

What’s an Out-of-Bounds Write?

Imagine a row of mailboxes numbered 1 through 10. If the postman tries to put mail in box 12, there's no box there. In computers, if a program writes data beyond the end of a storage area (a buffer), that’s called an out-of-bounds (OOB) write. An attacker can misuse this to:

File Parsing: InDesign opens a malicious file.

2. Trigger OOB Write: Special data in the file makes InDesign write outside the intended memory area.
3. Arbitrary Code Execution: The attacker’s code, smuggled into memory, is executed by the operating system as if it were a part of InDesign.

Proof-of-Concept Example

Below is a simplified example of what such a vulnerability might look like in pseudocode (not Adobe’s real code):

void processPageData(char* data, int length) {
    char buffer[100];
    for (int i = ; i < length; i++) {
        buffer[i] = data[i]; // No check if 'length' > 100!
    }
}

If the attacker creates a .indd file with more than 100 bytes of malicious data, the program writes past buffer[99], corrupting memory.

Real-world Exploit Approach

A public exploit rarely exists immediately after disclosure, but a crafted file might look like this (in Python):

# Make a maliciously large field for OOB write
payload = b'A' * 260  # Overwrite buffer and adjacent memory
with open('malicious.indd', 'wb') as f:
    # Insert payload at the magic place in the file structure
    f.write(b'%INDDHEADER%')
    f.write(payload)
    f.write(b'%INDDFOOTER%')

When InDesign tries to read your fake file and copies all 260 bytes into a 100-byte space, it overwrites important memory like the return address, leading to code execution.

Adobe published the fix on April 12, 2022.

- Security advisory: APSB22-17

> Adobe recommends customers update their software to the latest versions available.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

- Update InDesign: Always run the latest version. Adobe patched this in version 17.2 and newer.
- Never open suspicious files: If someone emails you an unexpected or untrusted .indd file, don’t open it.
- Use OS security features: Run as a non-admin user if possible. Enable system protections like antivirus and DEP/ASLR.

References

- Adobe Security Bulletin APSB22-17
- NVD Entry for CVE-2022-28833
- Mitre CVE Record

Conclusion

CVE-2022-28833 reminds us how a simple programming oversight can result in severe consequences for software users. While user interaction is required for exploitation, attackers are clever at tricking victims. Make sure your Adobe InDesign is updated, double-check file sources, and keep in mind the risks of out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities.

Don't let your creative workflow become an attack vector—stay secure!

Timeline

Published on: 09/11/2023 14:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 09/11/2023 14:26:00 UTC