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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2017-16395

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 in the image conversion module when processing Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF). Crafted EMF input (EMR_STRETCHDIBITS) 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's image conversion module when processing Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF) files. Specifically, the EMR_STRETCHDIBITS record handling causes a mismatch between allocated buffer size and the memory access permitted by the length computation, allowing controlled memory corruption and potentially arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat and Reader to patched versions beyond 2017.012.20098, 2017.011.30066, 2015.006.30355, and 11.0.22. Until patched, consider blocking or sandboxing EMF file processing from untrusted sources.

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 if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed
    On Windows, check for installation in Program Files/Adobe or use the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe. On Mac, check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
    Affected if Neither Adobe Acrobat nor Adobe Reader is installed, then the system is not affected by this specific vulnerability.
  2. Determine the installed Adobe product version
    In Adobe Acrobat: go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat. In Adobe Reader: go to Help > About Adobe Reader. The version number appears in the format XX.x.xxxxxxx (e.g., 17.011.30066).
    Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader but the version cannot be determined.
  3. Compare against affected versions for standard Acrobat/Reader
    For Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader (non-DC): affected if version <= 11.0.22 OR version >= 17.0 and <= 17.011.30066. The 11.0.x branch and 17.x branch up to 17.011.30066 are vulnerable.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the affected ranges: <= 11.0.22 or >= 17.0 through 17.011.30066.
  4. Compare against affected versions for Acrobat/Reader DC
    For Adobe Acrobat DC and Adobe Reader DC: affected if version >= 15.0 and <= 15.006.30355 OR version >= 15.0 and <= 17.012.20098. Note: there are two distinct vulnerable ranges in the DC branch.
    Affected if The installed DC version falls within: 15.0 through 15.006.30355, or 15.0 through 17.012.20098.
  5. Verify if EMF file processing is possible
    The vulnerability triggers when processing Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF) files through the image conversion module. Attempt to open or convert a specially crafted EMF file through the application to confirm the vulnerable code path is reachable.
    Affected if EMF files can be processed by the application and the version is within the affected ranges listed above.

A system is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader is installed with a version matching the specified vulnerable ranges and the application can process EMF files, which is standard functionality in these products.

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 patched versions beyond 2017.012.20098, 2017.011.30066, 2015.006.30355, and 11.0.22. Until patched, consider blocking or sandboxing EMF file processing from untrusted sources.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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-2017-16395 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