CVE-2017-3027
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 · uneditedAdobe Acrobat Reader versions 11.0.19 and earlier, 15.006.30280 and earlier, 15.023.20070 and earlier have an exploitable use after free vulnerability in the XFA module, related to the choiceList element. Successful exploitation could lead to 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 use-after-free vulnerability exists in Adobe Acrobat Reader's XFA (XML Forms Architecture) module, specifically within the choiceList element. The vulnerability allows an attacker to manipulate memory after it has been freed, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution when a malicious PDF file is opened.
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<= 11.0.19<= 15.006.30280<= 15.023.20070<= 15.006.30280<= 15.023.20070<= 11.0.19CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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 productOpen Adobe Acrobat/Reader and go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or check the product name in Programs and Features)Affected if The installed product is Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Acrobat Dc, Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc, or Adobe Reader
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Determine installed version numberIn the About dialog, note the exact version number displayed (for example, 11.0.19 or 15.006.30280)Affected if Version matches or is lower than 11.0.19, 15.006.30280, or 15.023.20070 depending on the product and release track
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Check if XFA forms are usedOpen any frequently used PDF files in the application and inspect the document properties (File > Properties) to see if the form type is XFA or if the XFA stream is present in the documentAffected if PDF documents contain XFA form data (choiceList elements specifically) - the vulnerability only triggers with malicious XFA content
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Verify PDF handling behaviorOpen an unknown or untrusted PDF file in the reader and monitor for unexpected crashes or unusual behavior in the applicationAffected if The application crashes when opening PDFs containing crafted XFA choiceList elements
You are affected if you have Adobe Acrobat/Reader version 11.0.19 or lower, or version 15.006.30280/15.023.20070 or lower, AND you open PDF files containing XFA forms.
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 dataUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version. For version 11.x, update beyond 11.0.19; for version 15.x, update beyond 15.006.30280 and 15.023.20070 depending on the release track.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-3027 — 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-2017-3027 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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