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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-5099

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-07-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.006.30060 / 15.008.20082 or later.
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
Use-after-free vulnerability 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-2015-4448, CVE-2015-5095, CVE-2015-5101, CVE-2015-5111, CVE-2015-5113, and CVE-2015-5114.

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

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. Affected versions include 10.x before 10.1.15, 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.

MitigationUpgrade 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, and 2015.008.20082 or later for DC Continuous. Alternatively, apply the available Adobe security patches for these 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:>= 10.0, <= 10.1.14>= 11.0.0, <= 11.0.11
Acrobat DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.006.30033, < 15.006.30060>= 15.007.20033, < 15.008.20082
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 10.0, <= 10.1.14>= 11.0.0, <= 11.0.11
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.006.30033, < 15.006.30060>= 15.007.20033, < 15.008.20082

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. Locate installed Adobe product
    Check for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader installation in Program Files (Windows) or Applications (macOS). Note whether the product is Standard, Pro, or Reader.
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the system.
  2. Obtain exact version number
    Open the application, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader. Record the exact version string shown (for example, 10.1.14 or 15.006.30059).
    Affected if Application version cannot be determined.
  3. Identify product track and build
    For DC versions, identify whether it is Classic or Continuous track by checking the Help > About dialog. Classic versions show year-based versions (2015.x), Continuous versions show monthly increments (15.xxxxxxxx).
    Affected if DC track cannot be determined.
  4. Compare against affected 10.x and 11.x ranges
    If version starts with 10.x, verify if it is 10.1.14 or lower. If version starts with 11.x, verify if it is 11.0.11 or lower.
    Affected if Version is 10.0 through 10.1.14, or 11.0.0 through 11.0.11.
  5. Compare against affected DC Classic range
    For Classic track versions (2015.x format), check if the build is 2015.006.30033 or higher but below 2015.006.30060.
    Affected if Version is 2015.006.30033 through 2015.006.30059.
  6. Compare against affected DC Continuous range
    For Continuous track versions (15.xxxxxxxx format), check if the build is 15.007.20033 or higher but below 15.008.20082.
    Affected if Version is 15.007.20033 through 15.008.20081.

The system is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader is installed and the version falls within any of the affected ranges: 10.0-10.1.14, 11.0.0-11.0.11, 2015.006.30033-2015.006.30059, or 15.007.20033-15.008.20081.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 15.006.30060 / 15.008.20082 or later
Fixed in 15.006.3006015.008.20082
Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade 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, and 2015.008.20082 or later for DC Continuous. Alternatively, apply the available Adobe security patches for these versions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 10.x to 10.1.15+; 11.x to 11.0.12+; DC Classic to 2015.006.30060+; DC Continuous to 2015.008.20082+

  1. Identify the exact version of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader currently installed by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader
  2. For Adobe Acrobat/Reader 10.x: Upgrade to version 10.1.15 or later
  3. For Adobe Acrobat/Reader 11.x: Upgrade to version 11.0.12 or later
  4. For Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC Classic: Upgrade to version 2015.006.30060 or later
  5. For Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC Continuous: Upgrade to version 2015.008.20082 or later
  6. Download the appropriate update from the official Adobe security bulletin at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/reader/apsb15-15.html or use the application's built-in update feature (Help > Check for Updates)
  7. Install the update and restart the application
  8. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed versions listed above
Caveat Ensure compatibility with existing PDF workflows before deploying; older plugins may require updates

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2015-5099 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • 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