CVE-2017-16380
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 security bypass vulnerability for a certain file-type extension. Acrobat maintains both a blacklist and whitelist (the user can specify an allowed attachment). However, any file extensions that are neither on the blacklist nor the whitelist can still be opened after displaying a warning prompt.
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 confidenceAdobe Acrobat and Reader contain a security bypass vulnerability in their attachment handling mechanism. The software maintains both a blacklist (blocked file types) and a whitelist (explicitly allowed file types), but fails to properly restrict file extensions that are on neither list. These unspecified file types can still be opened after displaying only a warning prompt, allowing potentially malicious files to execute.
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 navigate to Help > About (or About Adobe Acrobat/Reader) to display the exact version number. Alternatively, right-click the application in the Windows Start menu or Applications folder and select Properties to view version information.Affected if The installed version falls within the affected ranges: Acrobat/Reader versions <= 11.0.22, >= 17.0 through 17.011.30066, or Acrobat/Reader DC versions >= 15.0 through 15.006.30355, or <= 17.012.20098.
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Confirm the product typeDetermine whether the installed software is Adobe Acrobat (standard or Pro), Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, or Adobe Acrobat DC. This matters because version ranges differ between product lines.Affected if The product is any of the affected Acrobat or Reader variants listed in the CVE (standard Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, Acrobat DC, or Acrobat Reader DC).
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Locate attachment handling settingsIn the application, access the security or privacy settings panel. Look for options related to attachment handling, file type restrictions, or protected view. The exact path varies by version but is typically under Edit > Preferences > Security (Enhanced) or under the Protection toolbar.Affected if The attachment handling feature with blacklist/whitelist logic is present and configurable in the installed version.
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Verify the file extension behaviorAttempt to attach or open a file with an extension that is neither commonly blocked (like .exe, .bat) nor explicitly allowed (like .pdf, .txt). Observe whether a warning prompt appears but still allows the file to open.Affected if The software shows only a warning prompt for unspecified file types rather than blocking them outright, confirming the security bypass is exploitable in this environment.
A user is affected if their installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version matches one of the vulnerable version ranges AND the attachment handling feature with the blacklist/whitelist mechanism is enabled in the application settings.
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 dataOrganizations should update to the latest patched versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader. Until patched, consider implementing additional enterprise-level controls to restrict attachment handling or disable opening of untrusted file types.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16380 — 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-2017-16380 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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