CVE-2017-16396
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. The vulnerability is caused by a buffer access with an incorrect length value in the TIFF processing module. Crafted 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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Adobe Acrobat and Reader's TIFF processing module where the code uses an incorrect length value when accessing a buffer, creating a mismatch between the allocated buffer size and the actual memory access allowed. This mismatch can be exploited by crafted TIFF input to achieve arbitrary code execution if an attacker can control the accessible memory.
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 installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader versionOpen Adobe Acrobat/Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Alternatively, right-click the executable file and select Properties > Details to view the version number.Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: 11.0.22 or earlier; 17.0 through 17.011.30066; 15.0 through 15.006.30355; or 17.012.20098 or earlier (for DC variants)
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Confirm the product type is affectedDetermine if the installed product is Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Acrobat DC, or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Note the specific product name from the About dialog.Affected if The product is any of the four: Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, Acrobat DC, or Acrobat Reader DC
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Verify TIFF image processing capabilityThe vulnerable TIFF processing module is built into Acrobat/Reader. To confirm TIFF handling is possible, attempt to open a PDF containing a TIFF image, or check the application logs for TIFF-related processing.Affected if The application can process TIFF images embedded in PDF files, which is a default enabled feature in affected versions
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Check for recent document processing of TIFF-in-PDF filesReview recently opened PDF files or check the application's recent documents list for PDFs that may contain embedded TIFF images. These could be vectors for exploitation.Affected if Users have opened or may open PDF files containing untrusted TIFF images
You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader version falls within the affected ranges (11.0.22 or earlier, 17.x up to 17.011.30066 or 17.012.20098, 15.0.x up to 15.006.30355) and the application processes PDF files with embedded TIFF images.
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 the relevant Adobe security updates for Acrobat and Reader to patch the vulnerable TIFF processing module. Organizations should prioritize updating systems that process untrusted PDF files.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16396 — 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-2017-16396 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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