How severe is CVE-2020-9731?

CVE-2020-9731 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-9731 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 11% (95th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-9731?

CVE-2020-9731 affects Adobe Indesign. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-9731?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-9731 published?

CVE-2020-9731 was published on 2020-09-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-9731

CVE-2020-9731 is a high-severity vulnerability in Adobe Indesign with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 11% places it in the 95th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-787.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 11% (95th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Adobe Indesign
Published: 2020-09-10
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A memory corruption vulnerability exists in InDesign 15.1.1 (and earlier versions). Insecure handling of a malicious indd file could be abused to cause an out-of-bounds memory access, potentially resulting in code execution in the context of the current user.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-9731?: A memory corruption vulnerability exists in InDesign 15.1.1 (and earlier versions). Insecure handling of a malicious indd file could be abused to cause an out-of-bounds memory access, potentially resulting in code execution in the context of the current user.
How severe is CVE-2020-9731?: CVE-2020-9731 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-9731 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 11% (95th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-9731?: CVE-2020-9731 affects Adobe Indesign. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-9731?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-9731 published?: CVE-2020-9731 was published on 2020-09-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/indesign/apsb20-52.html

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:adobe:indesign:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Adobe Indesign

CVE-2019-7107 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Adobe InDesign versions 14.0.1 and below have an unsafe hyperlink processing vulnerability. Successful exploitation…
CVE-2017-11302 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in Adobe InDesign 12.1.0 and earlier versions. An exploitable memory corruption vulnerability…
CVE-2016-7886 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Adobe InDesign version 11.4.1 and earlier, Adobe InDesign Server 11.0.0 and earlier have an exploitable memory…
CVE-2021-36004 — High (CVSS 8.8): Adobe InDesign version 16.0 (and earlier) is affected by an Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability in the CoolType library.…
CVE-2021-21099 — High (CVSS 8.8): Adobe InDesign version 16.0 (and earlier) is affected by an Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability when parsing a crafted…
CVE-2021-21098 — High (CVSS 8.8): Adobe InDesign version 16.0 (and earlier) is affected by an Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability when parsing a crafted…

All CVEs affecting Adobe Indesign →

Other CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-42369 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): GV-VMS V20 is a Video Monitoring Software used to gather the feeds of many surveillance cameras and manage other…
CVE-2026-4746 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability in timeplus-io proton (base/poco/Foundation/src‎ modules). This vulnerability is…
CVE-2025-43300 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.8.5 and iPadOS…
CVE-2025-24201 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved checks to prevent unauthorized actions. This issue is fixed in…
CVE-2024-42479 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): llama.cpp provides LLM inference in C/C++. The unsafe `data` pointer member in the `rpc_tensor` structure can cause…
CVE-2024-39791 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Stack-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities affecting Vonets industrial wifi bridge relays and wifi bridge…

Browse all CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) vulnerabilities →