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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2017-16381

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-12-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 17.012.20098 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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. The vulnerability is caused by a buffer access with an incorrect length value when processing TIFF files embedded within an XPS document. Crafted TIFF image input causes a mismatch between allocated buffer size and the access allowed by the computation. If an attacker can adequately control the accessible memory then this vulnerability can be leveraged to achieve 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 confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader when processing TIFF images embedded in XPS documents. The application incorrectly calculates buffer length, allowing controlled memory access that can lead to arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the latest patched versions (2017.012.20099+, 2017.011.30067+, 2015.006.30356+, 11.0.23+) to remediate this vulnerability. Restrict handling of untrusted XPS/TIFF documents until patches are applied.

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Adobe product
    Check if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed, and whether it is the Classic or DC variant. On Windows, this can be done via Add/Remove Programs or by locating the application in Program Files (e.g., C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat).
    Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader of any variant.
  2. Determine installed version number
    Open the application, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader) to display the exact version number. Alternatively, on Windows, check the registry key under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\InstallVersion or look at the file version of the executable (Acrobat.exe or AcroRd32.exe).
    Affected if A version number is displayed (e.g., 11.0.20, 17.0.12345, 15.006.30355).
  3. Compare version against affected ranges for Classic (11.x)
    Compare your installed 11.x version to 11.0.22. If your version is 11.0.22 or lower, you are within the affected range.
    Affected if The installed version is 11.0.22 or lower.
  4. Compare version against affected ranges for DC (2017 track)
    Compare your installed 17.x version to the affected ranges: 17.0 through 17.011.30066 inclusive. If your version falls within this range, you are affected.
    Affected if The installed version is 17.0 or higher but 17.011.30066 or lower.
  5. Compare version against affected ranges for DC (2015 track)
    Compare your installed 15.x version to the affected range: 15.0 through 15.006.30355 inclusive. If your version falls within this range, you are affected.
    Affected if The installed version is 15.0 or higher but 15.006.30355 or lower.

You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed and the version falls within any of these ranges: 11.0.22 or lower, 17.0 through 17.011.30066, or 15.0 through 15.006.30355.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 17.012.20098
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the latest patched versions (2017.012.20099+, 2017.011.30067+, 2015.006.30356+, 11.0.23+) to remediate this vulnerability. Restrict handling of untrusted XPS/TIFF documents until patches are applied.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2017-16381 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