CVE-2014-0512
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 · uneditedAdobe Reader 11.0.06 allows attackers to bypass a PDF sandbox protection mechanism via unspecified vectors, as demonstrated by VUPEN during a Pwn2Own competition at CanSecWest 2014.
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 confidenceAdobe Reader 11.0.06 contains a vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass the built-in PDF sandbox protection mechanism. This sandbox escape enables malicious PDFs to execute code outside the restricted environment, as demonstrated at Pwn2Own 2014 by VUPEN.
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= 11.0.6CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Adobe Reader installationCheck if Adobe Reader is installed on the system by searching for the executable. Common paths include C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 11.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe on Windows or /Applications/Adobe Reader.app on macOS. Use commands like 'where AcroRd32' on Windows or check the Applications folder on macOS.Affected if Adobe Reader version 11.0.6 is found installed on the system
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Identify installed Adobe Reader versionRight-click the Adobe Reader executable and select Properties, then view the Details tab to see the Product Version. Alternatively, open Adobe Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Reader to display the exact version number.Affected if The displayed version number is exactly 11.0.6
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Confirm build number matches 11.0.06In the About Adobe Reader dialog, note the full version string which typically includes both the major version (11.0.6) and the build number. Verify the version shows 11.0.06 specifically, as only this exact version is affected.Affected if The version shows 11.0.06 as the exact installed version
A system is affected only if Adobe Reader version 11.0.06 (exact version) is installed and in use, since this sandbox bypass vulnerability exists only in that specific version.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpdate Adobe Reader to the latest version to obtain the vendor patch that addresses this sandbox bypass vulnerability.
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (latest version)
- 1. Close Adobe Reader if it is currently open
- 2. Navigate to the official Adobe download page at https://get.adobe.com/reader/
- 3. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
- 4. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation
- 5. After installation, verify the version by going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader
- 6. Ensure the version is higher than 11.0.6, preferably the latest available version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-0512 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-0512 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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