CVE-2017-16360
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 · uneditedAn 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. This vulnerability is an instance of a use after free vulnerability in the MakeAccessible plugin, when creating an internal data structure. The mismatch between an old and a new object can provide an attacker with unintended memory access -- potentially leading to code corruption, control-flow hijack, or an information leak attack. 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 · high confidenceUse-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader's MakeAccessible plugin. When creating an internal data structure, the application fails to properly manage object lifecycle, leaving a dangling pointer that can be reallocated. Attackers can exploit this memory mismatch to achieve arbitrary code execution via code corruption, control-flow hijack, or information disclosure.
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<= 11.0.22>= 17.0, <= 17.011.30066>= -, <= 17.012.20098>= 15.0, <= 15.006.30355<= 11.0.22>= 17.0, <= 17.011.30066>= -, <= 17.012.20098>= 15.0, <= 15.006.30355CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Identify the installed Adobe productOpen Adobe Acrobat or Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader). Alternatively, right-click the executable file (Acrobat.exe or AcroRd32.exe) in Program Files and select Properties to view the version details.Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader (or their DC variants)
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Determine the exact version numberNote the full version string displayed in the About dialog or file properties. For DC variants, also verify whether it is the Classic or Continuous track by checking the installation folder structure or the product name in Add/Remove Programs.Affected if The installed version is visible and can be compared to the affected ranges
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Compare version against affected rangesMatch your installed version to these ranges: Acrobat/Reader Classic: <= 11.0.22 OR >= 17.0 through <= 17.011.30066; Acrobat/Reader DC Continuous: >= 15.0 through <= 15.006.30355 OR <= 17.012.20098Affected if The installed version falls within any of the listed vulnerable ranges
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Verify the MakeAccessible plugin presenceIn Acrobat/Reader, go to Edit > Preferences > Accessibility. Confirm the MakeAccessible plugin or accessibility features are available. This plugin handles accessibility-related data structures where the vulnerability occurs.Affected if The MakeAccessible functionality is present in the installation
The environment is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed with a version matching the affected ranges and the MakeAccessible accessibility features are available.
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.
From vendor dataApply Adobe security patches (APSB17-36 or subsequent updates) to all affected Acrobat and Reader installations. Prioritize patching given the high CVSS score and client-side attack vector.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16360 — 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-2017-16360 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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- 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
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