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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2016-1038

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-05-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 15.010.20060 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 before 11.0.16, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30172, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.016.20039 on Windows and OS X allow attackers to bypass JavaScript API execution restrictions via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-1039, CVE-2016-1040, CVE-2016-1041, CVE-2016-1042, CVE-2016-1044, CVE-2016-1062, and CVE-2016-1117.

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

This is a JavaScript API execution restriction bypass vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat on Windows and OS X. The flaw allows attackers to bypass built-in security restrictions that control which JavaScript APIs can be executed, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution or other malicious activities.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 11.0.16 or later (Classic), 15.006.30172 or later (DC Classic), or 15.016.20039 or later (DC Continuous).

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:<= 11.0.15
Acrobat DcApplication
Affected:<= 15.006.30121<= 15.010.20060
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:<= 15.006.30121<= 15.010.20060
ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 11.0.15

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 installed Adobe product
    Open Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat, then go to Help > About Adobe Reader/Acrobat to see the exact product name and version number displayed in the About dialog window
    Affected if The system has Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat installed (either the standalone Reader or the full Acrobat application)
  2. Determine product variant
    Check whether the installed product is Adobe Reader (standalone), Adobe Acrobat Standard/Pro, or Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC (Document Cloud) variant by reviewing the product name in the About dialog or installed programs list
    Affected if The product is Adobe Reader 11.x, Adobe Acrobat 11.x, or any DC (Document Cloud) variant of Acrobat or Reader
  3. Check version for Classic products (11.x)
    On the About screen, note the version number (for example, 11.0.15). Compare this numeric version against the affected range: Adobe Reader <= 11.0.15 or Adobe Acrobat <= 11.0.15
    Affected if The installed version is 11.0.15 or any earlier 11.x release (for example, 11.0.14, 11.0.13, etc.)
  4. Check version for DC Classic (15.x)
    On the About screen, note the full version number (for example, 15.006.30121). Compare against the affected DC Classic ranges: <= 15.006.30121 or <= 15.010.20060
    Affected if The installed version is 15.006.30121 or earlier, OR falls between 15.006.30122 and 15.010.20060 inclusive
  5. Verify if JavaScript is enabled
    In Adobe Reader/Acrobat, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript and check if Enable Adobe JavaScript is checked/enabled
    Affected if JavaScript is enabled in the application preferences (the vulnerability exploits JavaScript API restrictions, so JavaScript must be enabled for the flaw to be exploitable)

A user is affected if they have Adobe Reader or Acrobat version 11.0.15 or earlier (Classic), DC Classic version 15.006.30121 or earlier, or DC Continuous version 15.010.20060 or earlier, with JavaScript enabled in the application preferences.

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 a release after 15.010.20060
Vendor patch helpx.adobe.com →
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Reader and Acrobat to version 11.0.16 or later (Classic), 15.006.30172 or later (DC Classic), or 15.016.20039 or later (DC Continuous).

Recommended fix High confidence

11.0.16 (11.x line) | 15.006.30172 (DC Classic) | 15.016.20039 (DC Continuous)

  1. Navigate to the Adobe Acrobat/Reader update mechanism or download center
  2. For Acrobat/Reader 11.x: Upgrade to version 11.0.16 or later
  3. For Acrobat/Reader DC Classic: Upgrade to version 15.006.30172 or later
  4. For Acrobat/Reader DC Continuous: Upgrade to version 15.016.20039 or later
  5. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed version after update
Caveat Standard Adobe update; review release notes for any compatibility notices

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,264.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2016-1038 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