CVE-2017-3034
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 integer overflow vulnerability in the XML Forms Architecture (XFA) engine, related to layout functionality. 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 · moderate confidenceThis is an integer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader's XML Forms Architecture (XFA) engine, specifically within layout processing functionality. The integer overflow can corrupt memory allocation boundaries, potentially allowing an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory and achieve arbitrary code execution through a specially crafted PDF file.
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 the installed Adobe productOpen Adobe Acrobat or Reader and go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Alternatively, check the installed programs list in Windows Control Panel or the Applications folder on macOS.Affected if The system has Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc, or Adobe Reader installed
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Determine the exact version numberIn the About dialog, note the exact version string (for example, 11.0.19 or 15.006.30280). On Windows, you can also right-click the executable in Program Files and view Properties > Details for the File Version.Affected if The version number matches one of the affected ranges: 11.0.19 or lower, 15.006.30280 or lower, or 15.023.20070 or lower
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Verify XFA forms functionality is enabledIn Adobe Reader/Acrobat, go to Edit > Preferences > Forms and check if 'Automatically calculate field values' is enabled, or check if the PDF contains XFA-based forms. XFA (XML Forms Architecture) is a feature used for dynamic forms in PDFs.Affected if XFA-based forms are present or XFA processing is enabled - the vulnerability only triggers when parsing XFA layout in a specially crafted PDF
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Confirm PDF handling behaviorTry opening a standard PDF to verify the application runs normally. The vulnerability is triggered specifically by malicious PDF files using XFA elements.Affected if The user opens untrusted or unexpected PDF files that may contain XFA-based form content
A user is affected if they have Adobe Acrobat, Acrobat Reader Dc, or Adobe Reader installed at version 11.0.19 or lower, or version 15.006.30280 or lower (Classic), or version 15.023.20070 or lower (Continuous), and they open specially crafted PDF files with XFA form content.
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 versions later than 11.0.19, 15.006.30280, or 15.023.20070 respectively. As a workaround, avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF documents.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2017-3034 — 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-2017-3034 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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