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Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2018-12756

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-07-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 18.011.20040 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2018.011.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30080 and earlier, and 2015.006.30418 and earlier versions have a Use-after-free vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

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 confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2018.011.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30080 and earlier, and 2015.006.30418 and earlier allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by freeing memory and then accessing it, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the latest patched versions beyond the vulnerable releases. For enterprise deployments, test the update in a controlled environment before broad rollout.

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
Acrobat DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.006.30060, <= 15.006.30418>= 15.008.20082, <= 18.011.20040>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.011.30080
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.006.30060, <= 15.006.30418>= 15.008.20082, <= 18.011.20040>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.011.30080

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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. Check if Adobe Acrobat DC or Reader DC is installed
    Windows: Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or search for 'Acrobat' in the start menu. Mac: Check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
    Affected if Neither Adobe Acrobat DC nor Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is installed, then not affected.
  2. Find the installed version number
    Windows: Right-click the application in Programs and Features and select 'Properties', or open Adobe Acrobat/Reader and go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader. Mac: Right-click the app in Applications and select 'Get Info', or open the app and go to Adobe Acrobat/Reader > About.
    Affected if Unable to determine version number, cannot assess vulnerability status.
  3. Identify the exact product and version
    Note the full version number (for example: 15.006.30418 or 17.011.30080) and confirm whether it is Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.
    Affected if Product is not Acrobat DC or Reader DC, then not affected by this CVE.
  4. Compare version against affected ranges
    Check if the installed version falls within any of these ranges: 15.006.30060-15.006.30418, 15.008.20082-18.011.20040, or 17.011.30059-17.011.30080.
    Affected if Version falls within any of the listed vulnerable ranges, then the environment is affected.

If Adobe Acrobat DC or Reader DC is installed and the version number is between 15.006.30060 and 15.006.30418, between 15.008.20082 and 18.011.20040, or between 17.011.30059 and 17.011.30080, the environment is vulnerable to this CVE.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 18.011.20040
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the latest patched versions beyond the vulnerable releases. For enterprise deployments, test the update in a controlled environment before broad rollout.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 2015.006.30419 or later, 2017.011.30081 or later, 2018.011.20041 or later (or the latest 2019/2020/2021 version)

  1. 1. Close all Adobe Acrobat or Reader instances
  2. 2. Back up any important PDF documents
  3. 3. Visit the official Adobe security updates page at helpx.adobe.com/security.html or search for APSB18-21 (the security bulletin for this CVE)
  4. 4. Download the appropriate fixed version for your product line (Acrobat DC or Acrobat Reader DC)
  5. 5. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. Restart your computer after installation
  7. 7. Verify the version by opening Adobe Acrobat/Reader and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader
Caveat Minor: Some legacy features or plugins may be deprecated in newer versions; ensure compatibility with existing workflows before deploying enterprise-wide

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Acrobat Dc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2018-12756 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