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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2018-4896

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 is part of the image conversion module that handles Enhanced Metafile Format Plus (EMF+) data. 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

This is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader's image conversion module when processing Enhanced Metafile Format Plus (EMF+) data. The vulnerability occurs when the application reads past the end of a target buffer during EMF+ parsing, potentially exposing sensitive memory contents to an attacker.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to a version later than 2018.009.20050, 2017.011.30070, or 2015.006.30394 as specified in Adobe security bulletins. In enterprise environments, deploy the update via standard software distribution mechanisms.

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
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. Locate Adobe Acrobat or Reader installation
    Check common install paths: Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat 2015\; Mac: /Applications/Adobe Acrobat DC/ or /Applications/Adobe Acrobat Reader/. Use Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features or Mac Applications folder to list installed Adobe products.
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed
  2. Identify exact product version
    In Windows: Right-click the executable (e.g., AcroRd32.exe in bin folder) > Properties > Details tab > Product version field. Alternatively, open Adobe Reader/Acrobat > Help > About to display the precise version number (e.g., 17.011.30070, 18.009.20050).
    Affected if Version matches or falls within: 17.0 to 17.011.30070; 15.0 to 15.006.30394; or up to 18.009.20050 (for DC variants)
  3. Confirm product edition type
    Determine if the installation is Acrobat Reader (free) or Acrobat (commercial), and whether it is Classic or DC variant. Check the folder name or product name in Help > About dialog. DC versions include 'DC' in the product name.
    Affected if Product is Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe Acrobat DC, Adobe Acrobat Reader, or Adobe Acrobat within the affected version ranges

A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader (any variant) is installed with a version matching the ranges: 17.0 through 17.011.30070, 15.0 through 15.006.30394, or up to 18.009.20050 for DC editions.

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 a version later than 2018.009.20050, 2017.011.30070, or 2015.006.30394 as specified in Adobe security bulletins. In enterprise environments, deploy the update via standard software distribution mechanisms.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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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-2018-4896 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