dbcve.org
AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2018-4886

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-02-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 18.009.20050 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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. This vulnerability occurs as a result of computation that reads data that is past the end of the target buffer; the computation occurs in the image conversion engine when processing Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF) data related to handling of bitmap rectangles. A successful attack can lead to sensitive data exposure.

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

Out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader's image conversion engine when processing Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF) files. The vulnerability occurs during handling of bitmap rectangles, allowing an attacker to read data past the end of the target buffer and potentially expose sensitive information.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version beyond 2018.009.20050/2017.011.30070/2015.006.30394. Consider disabling preview functionality for untrusted EMF files as a defense-in-depth measure.

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:>= 15.0, <= 15.006.30394>= 18.0, <= 18.009.20050
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 17.0, <= 17.011.30070
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.0, <= 15.006.30394>= 18.0, <= 18.009.20050

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Identify the installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version
    Open Adobe Acrobat/Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or Acrobat). Alternatively, right-click the executable file (Acrobat.exe or AcroRd32.exe), select Properties, and check the File version details. On Windows, you can also query the registry key under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\[Version] for the version number.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 17.0 to 17.011.30070, 15.0 to 15.006.30394, or 18.0 to 18.009.20050.
  2. Confirm the product type (Acrobat versus Reader, and whether it is DC)
    Check the About dialog or the product name in the application title bar. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC has 'Reader DC' in the name; standard Adobe Acrobat Reader shows 'Reader' only. Adobe Acrobat (full) shows 'Adobe Acrobat' without 'Reader'.
    Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat (including DC variants) and the version matches the affected ranges listed above.
  3. Verify the image conversion engine can process EMF files
    Open an EMF file (Enhanced Metafile Format) in Adobe Reader or Acrobat. This is typically done through the File > Open dialog and selecting an .emf file, or by opening a PDF that embeds an EMF image. The vulnerability triggers when the image conversion engine processes the EMF bitmap rectangles.
    Affected if The software can open and render EMF files, which is default behavior in affected versions. No specific configuration toggle exists to disable EMF processing in the standard UI.
  4. Check for any installed security patches
    In Adobe Acrobat/Reader, go to Help > Check for Updates to see if any patches are pending or installed. On Windows, examine installed updates via Programs and Features or the registry for entries like 'Security Update' with a date after 2018. The fixed versions are 2018.009.20050, 2017.011.30070, or 2015.006.30394 and later.
    Affected if No patches have been installed and the base version remains in the vulnerable ranges.

If the installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version is between 15.0 and 15.006.30394, 17.0 and 17.011.30070, or 18.0 and 18.009.20050, and the software can process EMF files, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 18.009.20050
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version beyond 2018.009.20050/2017.011.30070/2015.006.30394. Consider disabling preview functionality for untrusted EMF files as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-4886 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2018-4886 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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