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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2015-5115

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-07-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.1.15 / 11.0.12 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
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 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3095, CVE-2015-5087, CVE-2015-5094, CVE-2015-5100, CVE-2015-5102, CVE-2015-5103, and CVE-2015-5104.

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

Memory corruption vulnerability (use-after-free) in Adobe Reader and Acrobat allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via unspecified vectors. Affects versions 10.x before 10.1.15, 11.x before 11.0.12, and DC versions before 2015.006.30060 (Classic) and 2015.008.20082 (Continuous) on Windows and OS X.

MitigationApply Adobe security patches: upgrade to Reader/Acrobat 10.1.15+, 11.0.12+, DC Classic 2015.006.30060+, or DC Continuous 2015.008.20082+. Until patched, disable JavaScript in Adobe Reader settings and exercise caution with untrusted PDF files.

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, < 10.1.15>= 11.0.0, < 11.0.12
Acrobat DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.006.30033, < 15.006.30060>= 15.007.20033, < 15.008.20082
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 10.0, < 10.1.15>= 11.0.0, < 11.0.12
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. Identify if Adobe Reader or Acrobat is installed
    Check for the presence of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader in the system program directory, or look for the application in the Start menu (Windows) or Applications folder (OS X). Also check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Adobe for installed Adobe products.
    Affected if Either Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat is found on the system
  2. Determine the installed version of Adobe Reader
    Open Adobe Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat Reader). The version number will be displayed in the dialog window. On Windows, you can also check the file version of the main executable (e.g., AcroRd32.exe or AcroRd64.exe) in the installation folder, or query the Windows Registry under the product's registry key for the Version or VersionNumber value.
    Affected if The displayed version is 10.x before 10.1.15, 11.x before 11.0.12, DC Classic before 2015.006.30060, or DC Continuous before 2015.008.20082
  3. Determine the installed version of Adobe Acrobat
    Open Adobe Acrobat, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat. The version number will be displayed in the dialog window. On Windows, you can also check the file version of the main executable (e.g., AcroTray.exe or Acrobat.exe) in the installation folder, or query the Windows Registry under the Adobe Acrobat key for the Version or VersionNumber value.
    Affected if The displayed version is 10.x before 10.1.15, 11.x before 11.0.12, DC Classic before 2015.006.30060, or DC Continuous before 2015.008.20082
  4. Verify the DC track version for Adobe Reader or Acrobat DC
    For DC versions, the version string typically includes a year and build number (e.g., 15.006.30033). In the About dialog, look for the full version string. On Windows, check the Windows Registry under the DC product key for values containing '30033' or similar build numbers to identify the specific DC track (Classic or Continuous) and its version.
    Affected if The version string shows a build between 15.006.30033 and 15.006.30059 (Classic track) or between 15.007.20033 and 15.008.20081 (Continuous track)

The system is affected if Adobe Reader or Acrobat is installed and its version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges: 10.x before 10.1.15, 11.x before 11.0.12, DC Classic before 2015.006.30060, or DC Continuous before 2015.008.20082.

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 10.1.15 / 11.0.12 / 15.006.30060 or later
Fixed in 10.1.1511.0.1215.006.30060
Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply Adobe security patches: upgrade to Reader/Acrobat 10.1.15+, 11.0.12+, DC Classic 2015.006.30060+, or DC Continuous 2015.008.20082+. Until patched, disable JavaScript in Adobe Reader settings and exercise caution with untrusted PDF files.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 10.1.15, 11.0.12, 2015.006.30060 (DC Classic), or 2015.008.20082 (DC Continuous) depending on product line

  1. 1. Identify the exact version of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader installed by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader
  2. 2. Determine which product line and version family applies: Classic 10.x, Classic 11.x, Acrobat/Reader DC Classic (15.x before 2015.006.30060), or Acrobat/Reader DC Continuous (15.x before 2015.008.20082)
  3. 3. Download the patched version from the official Adobe security bulletin at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/reader/apsb15-15.html
  4. 4. For Acrobat/Reader 10.x: Upgrade to version 10.1.15 or later
  5. 5. For Acrobat/Reader 11.x: Upgrade to version 11.0.12 or later
  6. 6. For Acrobat/Reader DC Classic (Windows and OS X): Upgrade to version 2015.006.30060 or later
  7. 7. For Acrobat/Reader DC Continuous (Windows and OS X): Upgrade to version 2015.008.20082 or later
  8. 8. Close all Adobe applications before running the installer
Caveat Ensure compatibility with operating system (Windows XP/Vista/7/8.1 support varies by version); Adobe 10.x and 11.x reached end of life and may require migration to newer product lines

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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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-2015-5115 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
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data