CVE-2015-5096
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 · uneditedHeap-based buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.15 and 11.x before 11.0.12, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 2015.006.30060, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 2015.008.20082 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5098 and CVE-2015-5105.
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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. Affects versions 10.x before 10.1.15, 11.x before 11.0.12, Acrobat/Reader DC Classic before 2015.006.30060, and DC Continuous before 2015.008.20082 on Windows and OS X.
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>= 10.0, <= 10.1.14>= 11.0.0, <= 11.0.11>= 15.006.30033, < 15.006.30060>= 15.007.20033, < 15.008.20082>= 10.0, <= 10.1.14>= 11.0.0, <= 11.0.11>= 15.006.30033, < 15.006.30060>= 15.007.20033, < 15.008.20082CVSS 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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Confirm Adobe Reader or Acrobat installationOn Windows, open Control Panel > Programs and Features and look for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader. On macOS, open Finder > Applications and check for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.Affected if Either Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat is installed
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Identify the exact product and versionFor the installed Adobe product, note the full version number. In the application, go to Help > About Adobe [Product]. On Windows, you can also right-click the executable in Program Files and view Properties > Details for the File Version.Affected if Version cannot be determined or is unknown
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Check version for Adobe Acrobat/Reader 10.xIf the product is version 10.x, verify if the installed version is 10.1.14 or lower. The version format is typically 10.1.x where x is the minor version number.Affected if Version is 10.0 through 10.1.14 inclusive
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Check version for Adobe Acrobat/Reader 11.xIf the product is version 11.x, verify if the installed version is 11.0.11 or lower. The version format is typically 11.0.x where x is the minor version number.Affected if Version is 11.0.0 through 11.0.11 inclusive
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Check version for Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC ClassicIf the product is Acrobat/Reader DC (Classic track), identify the full build number. Look for a version like 2015.006.xxxxx. Check if the build is 15.006.30033 or higher but below 15.006.30060.Affected if Build is 15.006.30033 or higher but below 15.006.30060
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Check version for Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC ContinuousIf the product is Acrobat/Reader DC (Continuous track), identify the full build number. Look for a version like 2015.008.xxxxx. Check if the build is 15.007.20033 or higher but below 15.008.20082.Affected if Build is 15.007.20033 or higher but below 15.008.20082
A user is affected if Adobe Reader or Acrobat is installed with a version that falls within any of these ranges: 10.0-10.1.14, 11.0.0-11.0.11, DC Classic 15.006.30033-15.006.30059, or DC Continuous 15.007.20033-15.008.20081.
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 · scoped15.006.3006015.008.20082
Update Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 10.1.15 or later for 10.x, 11.0.12 or later for 11.x, 2015.006.30060 or later for DC Classic, or 2015.008.20082 or later for DC Continuous.
Acrobat/Reader 10.1.15+ (10.x), 11.0.12+ (11.x), 2015.006.30060+ (DC Classic), 2015.008.20082+ (DC Continuous)
- Navigate to https://get.adobe.com/reader/ or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/ to download the latest version
- For Adobe Acrobat/Reader 10.x: Upgrade to version 10.1.15 or later
- For Adobe Acrobat/Reader 11.x: Upgrade to version 11.0.12 or later
- For Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC Classic: Upgrade to version 2015.006.30060 or later
- For Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC Continuous: Upgrade to version 2015.008.20082 or later
- Alternatively, enable Auto-Update in Adobe Reader/Acrobat preferences to receive automatic security updates
- Restart the application after installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-5096 — 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-2015-5096 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