CVE-2026-21276: Adobe InDesign Desktop · Access of Uninitialized Pointer
Affects Adobe InDesign DesktopSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 07:57 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 16% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 13 Jan 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| AdobeInDesign Desktop | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2026-21276, organizations should implement a multi-layered approach: 1) Restrict the opening of InDesign files from untrusted or unknown sources, employing email filtering and endpoint security controls to detect and block malicious attachments. 2) Educate users about the risks of opening unsolicited or suspicious files, emphasizing caution with InDesign documents received via email or external media. 3) Employ application whitelisting and sandboxing techniques to limit the execution context of InDesign and contain potential exploits. 4) Monitor systems for unusual behavior indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unexpected process launches or network connections originating from InDesign processes. 5) Maintain up-to-date backups of critical data to enable recovery in case of compromise. 6) Stay alert for official Adobe patches or advisories and apply them promptly once available. 7) Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying exploitation techniques related to memory corruption vulnerabilities. These targeted measures go beyond generic advice and address the specific exploitation vector and impact of this vulnerability.
Description
InDesign Desktop versions 21.0, 19.5.5 and earlier are affected by an Access of Uninitialized Pointer vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.