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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2017-16413

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 computation that writes data past the end of the intended buffer; the computation is part of the XPS to PDF conversion module, when processing TIFF files. The vulnerability is a result of an out of range pointer offset that is used to access sub-elements of an internal data structure. An attacker can potentially leverage the vulnerability to corrupt sensitive data or execute arbitrary code.

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

This is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader's XPS to PDF conversion module when processing TIFF files. The vulnerability stems from an out-of-range pointer offset used to access sub-elements of an internal data structure, causing data to be written past the end of the intended buffer. An attacker could potentially exploit this to corrupt sensitive data or achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the latest patched version provided by Adobe. Until patches are applied, avoid processing untrusted or unexpected TIFF files through the XPS to PDF conversion functionality.

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. Verify Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed
    Check for installation in typical paths: Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat <version> or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat <version>, or check Registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat under Windows
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is present on the system
  2. Determine installed Adobe product version
    Open Adobe Acrobat/Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader to display the exact version number. Alternatively, locate the executable (e.g., AcroRd32.exe or AcroApp.exe) and view file properties for version info
    Affected if Version number matches any of the affected ranges (11.0.22 and below; 15.x through 15.006.30355; 17.x through 17.011.30066 or 17.012.20098 depending on product variant)
  3. Confirm XPS to PDF conversion module exists
    In Adobe Acrobat/Reader, locate the XPS to PDF conversion functionality, typically accessible through Create > XPS to PDF or File > Create > Create PDF from other formats > XPS document
    Affected if The XPS to PDF conversion feature is present and accessible in the installation
  4. Check if TIFF file processing is possible through XPS converter
    Attempt to verify if the XPS to PDF conversion module accepts or can be used with TIFF files, or examine the application's file format conversion capabilities for TIFF input
    Affected if The XPS to PDF conversion module can process TIFF files as input

You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed with a version matching the affected ranges AND the XPS to PDF conversion feature that can handle TIFF files is accessible on the system.

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 version provided by Adobe. Until patches are applied, avoid processing untrusted or unexpected TIFF files through the XPS to PDF conversion functionality.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2017-16413 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