CVE-2017-16388
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 JavaScript API engine. 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 the JavaScript API engine of Adobe Acrobat and Reader. A mismatch between old and new objects provides unintended memory access, potentially leading to code corruption, control-flow hijack, information leak, or arbitrary code execution.
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 product and versionOpen Adobe Acrobat or Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). The version number appears in the dialog box. Alternatively, right-click on the executable file, select Properties, and check the Details tab for version information.Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: Acrobat 11.x <= 11.0.22; Acrobat 17.x >= 17.0 and <= 17.011.30066; Acrobat DC 15.x >= 15.0 and <= 15.006.30355; Acrobat DC 17.x <= 17.012.20098; Reader 11.x <= 11.0.22; Reader 17.x >= 17.0 and <= 17.011.30066; Reader DC 15.x >= 15.0 and <= 15.006.3035
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Verify whether JavaScript execution is enabled in the applicationOpen Adobe Acrobat or Reader, then go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript (or on newer versions, go to Edit > Preferences > Security (Enhanced) > JavaScript). Ensure that the 'Enable Adobe JavaScript' checkbox is unchecked.Affected if JavaScript is enabled, as the vulnerability exists in the JavaScript API engine and can only be exploited when JavaScript execution is permitted
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Confirm the specific product variant (Standard, Pro, or Reader DC)Check the product name in the About dialog or in the application title bar. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and Adobe Acrobat DC (Classic) have separate version tracks from the standalone Acrobat and Reader versions.Affected if The product variant matches the affected version ranges for either the standard Acrobat/Reader or the DC variants
You are affected if your installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version is within the affected ranges AND JavaScript execution is enabled in the application preferences.
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 dataUpdate Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the latest patched versions provided by Adobe. As a defense-in-depth measure, consider disabling JavaScript execution in PDF readers until patches can be applied.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16388 — 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-2017-16388 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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