CVE-2016-4256
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 · uneditedAdobe Digital Editions before 4.5.2 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-4257, CVE-2016-4258, CVE-2016-4259, CVE-2016-4260, CVE-2016-4261, and CVE-2016-4262.
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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Digital Editions versions prior to 4.5.2 allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause denial of service via unspecified vectors. The CVSS 9.8 score indicates straightforward exploitability leading to complete system compromise.
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<= 4.5.1CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Adobe Digital Editions installed versionOpen Adobe Digital Editions, then go to Help > About Adobe Digital Editions to view the exact version number. Alternatively, locate the installation directory and check the executable properties (ADE.exe) for version information.Affected if The displayed version is 4.5.1 or earlier (any version below 4.5.2)
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Verify Windows installed programs listOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate Adobe Digital Editions in the list, and note the version column entry.Affected if The listed version is 4.5.1 or earlier
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Check registry for version value (Windows)Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\DigitalEditions or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe\DigitalEditions. Look for a Version or VersionString value.Affected if The registry version value indicates 4.5.1 or lower
You are affected if Adobe Digital Editions version installed is 4.5.1 or any earlier version; version 4.5.2 or later is not vulnerable.
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 · scopedUpgrade Adobe Digital Editions to version 4.5.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability. No other specific configuration-based mitigations are available given the unspecified attack vector.
Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.2
- Close Adobe Digital Editions if it is currently running
- Download Adobe Digital Editions version 4.5.2 or later from Adobe's official website
- Run the downloaded installer file
- Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
- Restart Adobe Digital Editions after installation completes
- Verify the installed version by checking About in the application
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-4256 — 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-2016-4256 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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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.
- 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