CVE-2022-30650 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-122) found in Adobe InCopy, specifically affecting versions 17.2 and earlier, as well as 16.4.1 and earlier. Adobe InCopy is a professional word processing software commonly used in editorial workflows, often alongside Adobe InDesign. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of heap memory when processing certain file inputs, which can lead to a buffer overflow condition. This overflow can corrupt adjacent memory, potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction, specifically the opening of a crafted malicious file by the victim. There is no indication of known exploits actively in the wild at the time of this report, and no official patches or updates are linked in the provided data. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability by enabling code execution, which could lead to data theft, manipulation, or disruption of normal operations. However, the attack vector is limited by the need for user action and the scope is constrained to users running vulnerable versions of Adobe InCopy. The vulnerability does not require prior authentication but does require the victim to open a malicious file, which is a common attack vector in targeted phishing or social engineering campaigns.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-30650 can be significant in sectors relying heavily on Adobe InCopy for content creation, publishing, and editorial workflows, such as media companies, publishing houses, advertising agencies, and large enterprises with in-house creative teams. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized code execution, enabling attackers to steal sensitive editorial content, intellectual property, or credentials stored on compromised systems. It could also serve as a foothold for lateral movement within corporate networks, potentially escalating to broader compromise. Given that Adobe InCopy is often used on workstations with access to critical business data, the vulnerability poses risks to data confidentiality and integrity. The requirement for user interaction limits mass exploitation but does not eliminate targeted attacks, especially spear-phishing campaigns aimed at editorial staff. Additionally, disruption of editorial workflows could impact business continuity and deadlines, indirectly affecting organizational reputation and revenue. The absence of known exploits in the wild suggests a window of opportunity for organizations to remediate before active exploitation occurs.

Organizations should prioritize updating Adobe InCopy to the latest available version once Adobe releases a patch addressing CVE-2022-30650. In the absence of an immediate patch, implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Enforce strict email and file attachment scanning policies to detect and quarantine suspicious or malformed InCopy files. 2) Educate editorial and creative staff about the risks of opening unsolicited or unexpected files, particularly those received via email or external sources. 3) Utilize application whitelisting and sandboxing technologies to restrict the execution context of Adobe InCopy, limiting the impact of potential code execution. 4) Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for anomalous behaviors indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unusual memory access patterns or process spawning from InCopy. 5) Restrict user privileges to the minimum necessary to reduce the potential impact of code execution under the current user context. 6) Regularly back up critical editorial data and ensure backups are isolated from the main network to enable recovery in case of compromise. These targeted measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on the specific attack vector (malicious file opening) and the operational context of Adobe InCopy users.