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Acrobat ReaderApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-3061

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
Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.14 and 11.x before 11.0.11 on Windows and OS X allow attackers to bypass intended restrictions on JavaScript API execution via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3060, CVE-2015-3062, CVE-2015-3063, CVE-2015-3064, CVE-2015-3065, CVE-2015-3066, CVE-2015-3067, CVE-2015-3068, CVE-2015-3069, CVE-2015-3071, CVE-2015-3072, CVE-2015-3073, and CVE-2015-3074.

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 10.x before 10.1.14 and 11.x before 11.0.11 on Windows and OS X contain a vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass intended security restrictions on JavaScript API execution, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution or unauthorized file system access.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 10.1.14 or later (for 10.x) and 11.0.11 or later (for 11.x) to patch this vulnerability.

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
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
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:all versions
WindowsOperating system
Affected:all versions
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

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 if Adobe Reader or Acrobat is installed
    On Windows, check Add/Remove Programs or look for Adobe Acrobat/Reader in Program Files. On Mac, check /Applications for 'Adobe Acrobat Reader' or 'Adobe Acrobat' applications.
    Affected if Either Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed version on Windows
    Open Adobe Reader or Acrobat, go to Help > About Adobe [Product]. The version number will display (for example, 10.1.10 or 11.0.10). Alternatively, right-click the executable in the installation folder and view Properties > Details for the File Version.
    Affected if The displayed version is 10.x or 11.x and matches the affected ranges
  3. Determine the installed version on Mac OS X
    Open the application, go to the application menu (Adobe [Product]) > About Adobe [Product]. The version number will display. Alternatively, right-click the application in /Applications, select Get Info, and view the Version field.
    Affected if The displayed version is 10.x or 11.x and matches the affected ranges
  4. Compare against vulnerable version ranges
    Review the identified version. Vulnerable versions are: Adobe Reader/Acrobat 10.1.0 through 10.1.11 (any 10.x version before 10.1.14), and 11.x versions before 11.0.11.
    Affected if The installed version is 10.1.0 through 10.1.11, or 11.x before 11.0.11
  5. Confirm JavaScript execution is not restricted
    By default, this vulnerability bypasses JavaScript API restrictions. If JavaScript execution is explicitly disabled in the application (Edit > Preferences > Security > JavaScript > uncheck 'Enable Adobe JavaScript'), the exploit vector may be reduced but the underlying vulnerability still exists.
    Affected if JavaScript is enabled in the application settings (the default configuration)

The system is affected if Adobe Reader or Acrobat version 10.1.0-10.1.11 or 11.x before 11.0.11 is installed with JavaScript execution 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 helpx.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 10.1.14 or later (for 10.x) and 11.0.11 or later (for 11.x) to patch this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Reader/Acrobat 10.1.14 or later (for 10.x); Adobe Reader/Acrobat 11.0.11 or later (for 11.x)

  1. 1. Identify the current Adobe Reader or Acrobat version by navigating to Help > About Adobe Reader/Acrobat
  2. 2. For version 10.x users: Upgrade to Adobe Reader/Acrobat 10.1.14 or later
  3. 3. For version 11.x users: Upgrade to Adobe Reader/Acrobat 11.0.11 or later
  4. 4. Download the appropriate update from the official Adobe security bulletin: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/reader/apsb15-10.html
  5. 5. Install the update and restart the application
  6. 6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release (10.1.14 for 10.x or 11.0.11 for 11.x)
Caveat Standard security update with minimal compatibility risk; ensure third-party PDF plugins are compatible with the new version

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

Fix this in Acrobat Reader Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,050
Get the patch applied

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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-2015-3061 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