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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2017-16402

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. This vulnerability occurs as a result of a computation that reads data that is past the end of the target buffer; the computation is a part of the JPEG 2000 module. The use of an invalid (out-of-range) pointer offset during access of internal data structure fields causes the vulnerability. A successful attack can lead to sensitive data exposure.

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

Adobe Acrobat and Reader contain an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the JPEG 2000 parsing module. The vulnerability stems from the use of an invalid (out-of-range) pointer offset when accessing internal data structure fields, causing the software to read data past the end of the target buffer. Successful exploitation can lead to sensitive data exposure.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat and Reader to version 2018.011.20035 or later for the 2017 release track, or the corresponding patched versions for other affected release tracks.

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 the installed Adobe product type
    Check if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed, and determine if it is the Classic or DC (Continuous) track. On Windows, check the program name in Add/Remove Programs or the installation directory. On macOS, check /Applications for 'Adobe Acrobat' or 'Adobe Acrobat Reader'.
    Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader (any variant)
  2. Determine the exact version number
    In Adobe Acrobat or Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader). Alternatively, on Windows right-click the executable in the installation folder and view Properties > Details for the version. Record the full version string (for example: 17.011.30066 or 15.006.30355).
    Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat or Reader, any version
  3. Compare the Classic track version against affected ranges
    For the Classic (non-DC) versions of Acrobat or Reader, compare the installed version against: <= 11.0.22, or >= 17.0 and <= 17.011.30066. If the version falls into either range, the installation is affected.
    Affected if The installed version is 11.0.22 or lower, OR is between 17.0 and 17.011.30066 inclusive
  4. Compare the DC track version against affected ranges
    For the DC (Continuous) track versions of Acrobat or Reader, compare the installed version against: >= 15.0 and <= 15.006.30355, or <= 17.012.20098. If the version falls into either range, the installation is affected.
    Affected if The installed version is between 15.0 and 15.006.30355 inclusive, OR is 17.012.20098 or lower

The environment is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader (Classic or DC) is installed and the version number falls within the vulnerable ranges (11.0.22 or lower, 15.x up to 15.006.30355, or 17.x up to 17.011.30066/17.012.20098 depending on track).

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 version 2018.011.20035 or later for the 2017 release track, or the corresponding patched versions for other affected release tracks.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2017-16402 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