AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2017-11293

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-12-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 17.012.20098 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
An issue was discovered in Adobe Acrobat and Reader: 2017.012.20098 and earlier versions, 2017.011.30066 and earlier versions, 2015.006.30355 and earlier versions, and 11.0.22 and earlier versions. An exploitable memory corruption vulnerability exists. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.

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 confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader allowing arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability exists in multiple older versions across 2015, 2017, and 11.x product lines. Successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise.

MitigationApply Adobe security updates to patch to versions later than 2017.012.20098, 2017.011.30066, 2015.006.30355, and 11.0.22. Prioritize patching given the critical CVSS score and potential for remote exploitation.

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:<= 11.0.22>= 17.0, <= 17.011.30066
Acrobat DcApplication
Affected:>= -, <= 17.012.20098>= 15.0, <= 15.006.30355
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 11.0.22>= 17.0, <= 17.011.30066
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= -, <= 17.012.20098>= 15.0, <= 15.006.30355

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Adobe product
    Check for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader installation. Look in Program Files (Windows) or Applications (Mac) for folders named 'Adobe Acrobat' or 'Adobe Reader'. The product name appears in the application title bar when launched.
    Affected if Any version of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed
  2. Determine exact version number
    In Windows: Right-click the executable (Acrobat.exe or Acrord32.exe), select Properties, and check the Version tab. Or open the application, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader. In macOS: Right-click the app in Applications, select Get Info, or open the app and go to Adobe Acrobat/Reader > About.
    Affected if The installed version matches the affected ranges
  3. Identify the product track (Desktop or Continuous)
    For Acrobat/Reader DC: Check if it is the Continuous track (updates automatically) or Desktop track (manual updates). This is visible in Help > Check for Updates or in the application title (often 'Acrobat DC' vs 'Acrobat 2017' or 'Acrobat XI'). The version number format differs: Continuous uses 17.xxxxx.xxxx, Desktop/2017 uses 17.x.xxxx, XI uses 11.x.xx.
    Affected if The track version falls within the affected ranges for that specific track
  4. Compare version against affected ranges
    Match your installed version to these ranges: Acrobat/Reader XI: <= 11.0.22; Acrobat/Reader 2017 (Desktop): >= 17.0, <= 17.011.30066; Acrobat/Reader DC Continuous: <= 17.012.20098; Acrobat/Reader DC (Classic): >= 15.0, <= 15.006.30355
    Affected if Installed version is at or below the upper bound AND above any stated minimum of the applicable range

If Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed and the version number falls within any of the affected ranges (11.0.22 or below, 17.x up to 17.011.30066, 17.012.20098, or 15.x up to 15.006.30355 depending on product track), the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2017-11293.

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 17.012.20098
Interim mitigation

Apply Adobe security updates to patch to versions later than 2017.012.20098, 2017.011.30066, 2015.006.30355, and 11.0.22. Prioritize patching given the critical CVSS score and potential for remote exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Acrobat/Reader 2017 (18.x): upgrade to 18.011.20063 or later | Acrobat/Reader 2015 (15.x): upgrade to 15.006.30356 or later | Acrobat/Reader 11.x: upgrade to 11.0.23 or later

  1. 1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader on the affected system
  2. 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates (or Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader)
  3. 3. Download and install the latest available security update from Adobe
  4. 4. Alternatively, download the security update manually from Adobe's security bulletins page (helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb17-21.html)
  5. 5. Restart the application after the update completes
  6. 6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release (18.011.20063 for 2017 track, 15.006.30356 or later for 2015 track, or 11.0.23 or later for 11.x track)
Caveat Standard update; review Adobe release notes for any changes to functionality or compatibility with legacy documents

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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-2017-11293 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