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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2018-4879

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-02-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 18.009.20050 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
An issue was discovered in Adobe Acrobat Reader 2018.009.20050 and earlier versions, 2017.011.30070 and earlier versions, 2015.006.30394 and earlier versions. The vulnerability is caused by the computation that writes data past the end of the intended buffer; the computation is part of the image conversion module that processes Enhanced Metafile Format Plus (EMF+) data. An attacker can potentially leverage the vulnerability to corrupt sensitive data or execute arbitrary code.

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 confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader's image conversion module that processes Enhanced Metafile Format Plus (EMF+) data. The computation writes data past the end of the intended buffer, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version that addresses this vulnerability.

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
AcrobatApplication
Affected:>= 17.0, <= 17.011.30070
Acrobat DcApplication
Affected:>= -, <= 18.009.20050>= 15.0, <= 15.006.30394
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 17.0, <= 17.011.30070
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= -, <= 18.009.20050>= 15.0, <= 15.006.30394

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. Locate installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version
    Open Adobe Acrobat/Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Alternatively, check Add/Remove Programs or the registry key at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{AC76BA86-7AD7-xxxx} for the DisplayVersion value.
    Affected if The displayed version number falls within the affected ranges: 17.0 through 17.011.30070, 18.0 through 18.009.20050, or 15.0 through 15.006.30394.
  2. Identify the product variant
    Confirm whether the installed product is standard Adobe Acrobat/Reader or the Desktop (DC) variant. The DC versions have separate version ranges from the classic versions.
    Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat DC and the version is at or below 18.009.20050 or between 15.0 and 15.006.30394.
  3. Determine if image conversion feature is accessible
    Attempt to open an image file (JPG, PNG, BMP) in the installed Adobe product, or check if the product can be used to convert images to PDF. This vulnerability exists in the image conversion module.
    Affected if The product successfully opens or converts image files, indicating the vulnerable module is present and functional.

You are affected if the installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version falls within any of the listed vulnerable ranges and the image conversion feature is available on your system.

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 18.009.20050
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version that addresses this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat Reader/Acrobat 2018.011.20033 or later (2018 track); 2017.011.30102 or later (2017 track); 2015.006.30417 or later (2015 track); or latest Continuous track version

  1. 1. Verify the currently installed Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
  2. 2. Identify the product line and version family (2015, 2017, or 2018) from the version number.
  3. 3. For Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Acrobat DC (Continuous track): Update to version 18.011.20033 or later via Help > Check for Updates, or download the latest version from the Adobe website.
  4. 4. For Adobe Acrobat Reader 2017 or Acrobat 2017 (Classic track): Update to version 2017.011.30102 or later.
  5. 5. For Adobe Acrobat Reader 2015 or Acrobat 2015 (Classic track): Update to version 2015.006.30417 or later.
  6. 6. Restart the application after installing the update.
  7. 7. Verify the update was successful by checking Help > About again to confirm the version is beyond the affected ranges.
Caveat Upgrading between major version tracks (e.g., Classic to Continuous) may introduce interface changes; ensure compatibility with existing workflows

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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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-2018-4879 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