CVE-2017-16418
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 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 image conversion module that handles XPS files. 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 confidenceThis is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader's image conversion module that handles XPS files. The vulnerability stems from an invalid (out-of-range) pointer offset being used during access of internal data structure fields, causing the application to read data past the end of the target buffer. Successful exploitation can lead to sensitive data exposure.
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 Adobe Acrobat or Reader installationOpen Adobe Acrobat or Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat) to view the exact version number. Alternatively, check Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or the Applications folder (Mac) for installed Adobe products.Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the system
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Confirm product type and exact versionNote the full version number displayed in the About dialog. Look for versions in the format XX.x.xxxxxxx (e.g., 11.0.22, 17.011.30066, 15.006.30355). Record whether it is standard Acrobat/Reader or Acrobat/Reader DC.Affected if The installed product is Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader of any version
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Compare version against affected rangesCheck if the installed version falls within: Acrobat/Reader 11.x versions up to and including 11.0.22; versions 17.0 through 17.011.30066; Acrobat/Reader DC versions 15.0 through 15.006.30355, or versions through 17.012.20098. Use the Help > About menu to verify the precise build number.Affected if The installed version is 11.0.22 or lower, OR between 17.0 and 17.011.30066 (standard), OR between 15.0 and 15.006.30355 / 17.012.20098 (DC variant)
If Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed and the version falls within the affected ranges listed, the system is vulnerable to out-of-bounds read via the XPS image conversion module.
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 image conversion module. Organizations should prioritize patching systems that process untrusted XPS files.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,608.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16418 — 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-2017-16418 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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