dbcve.org
AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-3048

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-05-13
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 10.x before 10.1.14 and 11.x before 11.0.11 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unknown vectors.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 10.x before 10.1.14 and 11.x before 11.0.11 on Windows and OS X platforms allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.

MitigationApply vendor patches immediately by updating Adobe Reader/Acrobat to version 10.1.14 or later (for 10.x) and 11.0.11 or later (for 11.x), or migrate to newer supported versions.

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:= 10.1.0= 10.1.1= 10.1.2= 10.1.3= 10.1.4= 10.1.5= 10.1.6= 10.1.7= 10.1.8= 10.1.9= 10.1.10= 10.1.11
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:all versions
WindowsOperating system
Affected:all versions
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:= 10.1.0= 10.1.1= 10.1.2= 10.1.3= 10.1.4= 10.1.5= 10.1.6= 10.1.7= 10.1.8= 10.1.9= 10.1.10= 10.1.11

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. Verify Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed
    On Windows, check Programs and Features or look for Acrobat/Adobe Reader in the installation directory. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
    Affected if Either Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed Adobe version
    On Windows, right-click the Adobe executable, select Properties, and check the Details tab for version information. On macOS, right-click the application in Applications, select Get Info, and check the version field. Alternatively, open Adobe Reader/Acrobat and go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader.
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or the product is installed
  3. Compare installed version against the vulnerable 10.1.x range
    Check if the installed version starts with 10.1.x. The affected versions are 10.1.0 through 10.1.11 inclusive (as listed in the affected products).
    Affected if Installed version is 10.1.0, 10.1.1, 10.1.2, 10.1.3, 10.1.4, 10.1.5, 10.1.6, 10.1.7, 10.1.8, 10.1.9, 10.1.10, or 10.1.11
  4. Check if running on Windows or OS X
    Identify the operating system using System Properties on Windows or About This Mac on macOS.
    Affected if The system is running Windows or macOS (the vulnerability affects both platforms)
  5. Confirm JavaScript or certain features are enabled
    In Adobe Reader/Acrobat, go to Edit > Preferences > Security (Enhanced) and check if protected mode or sandbox is disabled, or check if JavaScript is enabled in Edit > Preferences > JavaScript.
    Affected if JavaScript is enabled or protected mode/sandbox is disabled (the vulnerability can be triggered through unspecified vectors including potentially JavaScript)

A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader version 10.1.0 through 10.1.11 is installed on Windows or macOS and the system can process untrusted PDF documents.

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 helpx.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches immediately by updating Adobe Reader/Acrobat to version 10.1.14 or later (for 10.x) and 11.0.11 or later (for 11.x), or migrate to newer supported versions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 10.1.14+ (for 10.x users) or 11.0.11+ (for 11.x users) - or migrate to latest current version

  1. 1. Navigate to the Adobe Acrobat/Reader download page or use your existing installation's update feature
  2. 2. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader
  3. 3. If using version 10.x, ensure you upgrade to version 10.1.14 or later
  4. 4. If using version 11.x, ensure you upgrade to version 11.0.11 or later
  5. 5. Close all Adobe applications before installing the update
  6. 6. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the upgrade
  7. 7. Restart your computer after installation completes
  8. 8. Verify the installed version by going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader
Caveat Standard Adobe update; minimal risk. Ensure backup of PDF files before update as precaution.

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the patch applied

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-3048 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2015-3048 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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