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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2012-4153

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-08-15
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.5.2 and 10.x before 10.1.4 on Windows and Mac OS X allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-2051, CVE-2012-4147, CVE-2012-4148, CVE-2012-4149, CVE-2012-4150, CVE-2012-4151, CVE-2012-4152, CVE-2012-4154, CVE-2012-4155, CVE-2012-4156, CVE-2012-4157, CVE-2012-4158, CVE-2012-4159, and CVE-2012-4160.

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 · moderate confidence

Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.5.2 and 10.x before 10.1.4 on Windows and Mac OS X contain a memory corruption vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service. The specific attack vectors are unspecified in the advisory.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 9.5.2 or later for the 9.x branch, or version 10.1.4 or later for the 10.x branch.

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:= 9= 9.0= 9.1= 9.1.1= 9.1.2= 9.1.3= 9.2= 9.3= 9.3.1= 9.3.2= 9.3.3= 9.3.4
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:= 9.0= 9.1= 9.1.1= 9.1.2= 9.1.3= 9.2= 9.3= 9.3.1= 9.3.2= 9.3.3= 9.3.4= 9.4

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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. Check if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed
    On Windows, open Add/Remove Programs or check for Acrobat/Reader in the program files directory. On Mac, check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader is installed on the system
  2. Determine the installed version number
    Open the application, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat or About Adobe Reader. Alternatively, right-click on the executable (AcroRd32.exe or AcroDist.exe on Windows) and select Properties to view version information.
    Affected if The version displayed is 9.x (including 9, 9.0 through 9.3.4, or 9.4 for Reader) or 10.x versions before 10.1.4
  3. Compare your version to affected ranges
    If you cannot access the application GUI, check the Windows registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Reader for the version value, or examine the version resource of the executable file.
    Affected if The version is 9.0 through 9.3.4, 9.4 (Reader only), or any 10.x version below 10.1.4

A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader version 9.x (through 9.3.4 or 9.4) or 10.x (before 10.1.4) is installed on Windows or Mac OS X.

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
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch www.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 9.5.2 or later for the 9.x branch, or version 10.1.4 or later for the 10.x branch.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 9.5.2 or later (9.x line); or 10.1.4 or later (10.x line)

  1. 1. Check the current Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About (or pressing Ctrl+I)
  2. 2. If running a version before 9.5.2 on the 9.x line, or before 10.1.4 on the 10.x line, plan for upgrade
  3. 3. Back up any existing PDF files and custom settings if needed
  4. 4. Download the fixed version from Adobe's official download page or the vendor security bulletin at http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb12-16.html
  5. 5. For Adobe Reader: Download and install version 9.5.2 or later (or 10.1.4+ for version 10.x)
  6. 6. For Adobe Acrobat: Download and install version 9.5.2 or later (or 10.1.4+ for version 10.x)
  7. 7. Verify the installation by checking Help > About shows the patched version
  8. 8. Test that PDF files open and render correctly after the update
Caveat Upgrading may affect compatibility with older PDF forms or scripts; ensure testing on non-production files first; some enterprise deployment policies may require administrator-level installation

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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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2012-4153 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