AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2013-5325

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-10-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Adobe Reader and Acrobat 11.x before 11.0.05 on Windows allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in a javascript: URL via a crafted PDF document.

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

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code via specially crafted PDF documents containing javascript: URLs. The flaw exists in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 11.x versions prior to 11.0.05 on Windows, where the application fails to properly sanitize javascript: URLs embedded in PDF files, enabling script execution in the context of the application.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 11.0.05 or later. Additionally, disable JavaScript execution in Adobe Reader/Acrobat settings if not required, and implement network-level controls to block PDF files from untrusted sources.

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:= 11.0= 11.0.1= 11.0.2= 11.0.3= 11.0.4
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:= 11.0= 11.0.1= 11.0.2= 11.0.3= 11.0.4

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
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 installed Adobe product
    Open Adobe Reader or Acrobat, then go to Help > About (or check Add/Remove Programs in Windows Control Panel) to see the exact version number
    Affected if The product is Adobe Reader or Acrobat version 11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3, or 11.0.4 on Windows
  2. Verify the exact version against affected list
    Compare the installed version number to the vulnerable versions: 11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3, and 11.0.4. Version 11.0.05 or later is not affected
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3, or 11.0.4
  3. Check if JavaScript is enabled in Adobe settings
    In Adobe Reader/Acrobat, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript and verify whether 'Enable Adobe JavaScript' is checked
    Affected if JavaScript is enabled in the application preferences (the vulnerability requires JavaScript to be active to exploit the javascript: URL flaw)

You are affected if Adobe Reader or Acrobat version 11.0 through 11.0.4 is installed on Windows AND JavaScript is enabled in the application settings.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 11.0.05 or later. Additionally, disable JavaScript execution in Adobe Reader/Acrobat settings if not required, and implement network-level controls to block PDF files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 11.0.05 or later

  1. Download Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version 11.0.05 or later from the official Adobe website
  2. Install the updated version on Windows systems
  3. Verify the installation by checking Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader to confirm the version number
Caveat Security update with no expected breaking changes; standard risk of minor functionality changes applies to any software update

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
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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-2013-5325 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