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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2008-2042

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Javascript API in Adobe Acrobat Professional 7.0.9 and possibly 8.1.1 exposes a dangerous method, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands or trigger a buffer overflow via a crafted PDF file that invokes app.checkForUpdate with a malicious callback function.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Adobe Acrobat Professional's Javascript API contains a vulnerability in the app.checkForUpdate method that allows specially crafted PDF files to execute arbitrary commands or cause a buffer overflow via a malicious callback function.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat to the latest version or apply vendor-supplied patches. Consider disabling JavaScript execution in Acrobat settings as a defense-in-depth measure.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AcrobatApplication
Affected:<= 8.1.1= 3.0= 3.1= 4.0= 4.0.5= 4.0.5a= 4.0.5c= 5.0= 5.0.5= 5.0.6= 5.0.10= 6.0
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 8.1.1= 3.0= 3.01= 3.02= 4.0= 4.0.5= 4.0.5a= 4.0.5c= 4.5= 5.0= 5.0.5= 5.0.6

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Adobe Acrobat or Reader installation
    Open Adobe Acrobat or Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Note the exact version number displayed.
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: Acrobat <= 8.1.1, 3.0, 3.1, 4.0, 4.0.5, 4.0.5a, 4.0.5c, 5.0, 5.0.5, 5.0.6, 5.0.10, 6.0 OR Reader <= 8.1.1, 3.0, 3.01, 3.02, 4.0, 4.0.5, 4.0.5a, 4.0.5c, 4.5, 5.0, 5.0.5, 5.0.6
  2. Verify JavaScript is enabled in Acrobat
    In Acrobat/Reader, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript. Check if 'Enable Adobe JavaScript' is checked.
    Affected if JavaScript is enabled (the checkbox is ticked) - the vulnerability requires JavaScript to be active to exploit the app.checkForUpdate method.
  3. Confirm the app.checkForUpdate method exists
    Open the JavaScript console (Ctrl+J in Acrobat, or go to View > Tools > JavaScript > JavaScript Debugger). Type 'app.checkForUpdate' and press Enter to verify the method is available.
    Affected if The method returns a function definition rather than 'undefined' - this confirms the vulnerable API is present.

You are affected if you have Adobe Acrobat or Reader installed with a version matching the affected list AND JavaScript is enabled, which makes the app.checkForUpdate method exploitable via malicious PDF files.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.1.1
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat to the latest version or apply vendor-supplied patches. Consider disabling JavaScript execution in Acrobat settings as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 8.1.2 or later; or upgrade to Adobe Acrobat Reader DC / Acrobat Pro DC for latest version

  1. 1. Verify the currently installed Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat Professional)
  2. 2. Download Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version 8.1.2 or later from the official Adobe website (get.adobe.com/reader)
  3. 3. Close all open instances of Adobe Acrobat/Reader
  4. 4. Run the installer for the newer version
  5. 5. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the update
  6. 6. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm the patch was applied
  7. 7. Alternatively, consider upgrading to the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (available at get.adobe.com/reader) for the most current security protections
Caveat Upgrading from older major versions (e.g., version 3.x, 4.x) to version 8.x or newer may introduce UI changes and feature differences; ensure compatibility with existing workflows

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-2042 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data