CVE-2017-3056
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 memory corruption vulnerability in the JavaScript engine, related to string manipulation. 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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader's JavaScript engine specifically related to string manipulation. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution through crafted PDF files containing malicious JavaScript.
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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Check installed Adobe Reader/Acrobat versionOn Windows: Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\[Version] or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Reader\[Version] and note the value in the 'Version' key. On Mac: Right-click the application in Applications folder and select 'Get Info' to view the version.Affected if The version number is 11.0.19 or lower for Adobe Reader/Acrobat 11.x, or 15.006.30280/15.023.20070 or lower for version 15.x (Acrobat/Reader DC).
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Verify JavaScript is enabled in PDF viewer settingsIn Adobe Reader/Acrobat, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript and check if 'Enable Adobe JavaScript' is checked. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry path HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\[Version]\JSPlugin\bEnableJS for value 1 (enabled).Affected if JavaScript is enabled - the exploit requires JavaScript to be turned on to execute the malicious code within the PDF.
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Confirm PDF files are permitted to execute scriptsCheck the trust settings in the application: Go to Edit > Preferences > Security (Enhanced) and review the 'JavaScript' section under 'Privileged Locations'. Also verify no enterprise policies are blocking JavaScript execution in PDFs.Affected if PDF files are allowed to run JavaScript without restriction - this is required for the crafted PDF to trigger the vulnerability.
A user is affected if their installed Adobe Reader/Acrobat version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND JavaScript is enabled in the application settings.
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 a version newer than 11.0.19, 15.006.30280, or 15.023.20070 as applicable to the installation.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-3056 — 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-2017-3056 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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