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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2013-0621

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-01-10
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
Buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.5.3, 10.x before 10.1.5, and 11.x before 11.0.1 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-0606, CVE-2013-0612, CVE-2013-0615, and CVE-2013-0617.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat affecting versions 9.x before 9.5.3, 10.x before 10.1.5, and 11.x before 11.0.1. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, likely through malicious PDF files.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 9.5.3, 10.1.5, 11.0.1 or later. Deploy vendor patches through standard patch management processes.

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:= 9.0= 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
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. Identify installed Adobe Acrobat version
    On Windows, open Help > About Adobe Acrobat. On Mac, open Acrobat > About Adobe Acrobat. Alternatively, check the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\9.0\InstallPath or navigate to the installation directory and locate the acrobat.exe file, then right-click and view Properties > Details for version information.
    Affected if The installed version matches 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, or 9.4, or falls within the 9.x series before 9.5.3.
  2. Identify installed Adobe Acrobat Reader version
    On Windows, open Help > About Adobe Reader. On Mac, open Reader > About Adobe Reader. Alternatively, check the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader\9.0\InstallPath or locate the ar.exe or AcroRd32.exe file in the installation folder and view its Properties > Details.
    Affected if The installed version matches 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, or 9.4, or falls within the 9.x series before 9.5.3.
  3. Check for 10.x and 11.x versions if applicable
    If the product is Adobe Acrobat or Reader version 10.x or 11.x, verify the exact version through the same Help > About dialog or by locating the executable and checking its version property. For 10.x versions, check for versions before 10.1.5. For 11.x versions, check for versions before 11.0.1.
    Affected if The installed version is 10.x before 10.1.5 or 11.x before 11.0.1.
  4. Verify JavaScript execution is enabled
    In Adobe Acrobat or Reader, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript and verify if Enable Adobe JavaScript is checked. This feature is commonly enabled by default and is the typical attack vector for this type of buffer overflow vulnerability.
    Affected if JavaScript is enabled in the application preferences, making the exploit pathway viable.

A system is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader version 9.0 through 9.4 (or any 9.x before 9.5.3), 10.x before 10.1.5, or 11.x before 11.0.1 is installed with JavaScript enabled.

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 9.5.3, 10.1.5, 11.0.1 or later. Deploy vendor patches through standard patch management processes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 9.5.3 (or migrate to newer supported versions such as 10.1.5 or 11.0.1)

  1. Navigate to the Adobe Acrobat download page or use your organization's software distribution system
  2. Download Adobe Acrobat/Reader version 9.5.3 (or later) for the 9.x product line
  3. Close all instances of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader
  4. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  5. Follow the on-screen installation prompts
  6. Restart the system after installation completes
  7. Verify the installed version by opening Adobe Reader/Acrobat and checking Help > About
Caveat Upgrading between major versions may change UI behavior and deprecated features; ensure compatibility with existing workflows and integrate any required plugins

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2013-0621 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