CVE-2018-4910
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 · uneditedAn 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 is an instance of a heap overflow vulnerability in the JavaScript engine. The vulnerability is triggered by a PDF file with crafted JavaScript code that manipulates the optional content group (OCG). A successful attack can lead to code corruption, control-flow hijack, or a code re-use attack.
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 confidenceHeap overflow vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader's JavaScript engine. Triggered by a specially crafted PDF containing malicious JavaScript code that manipulates Optional Content Groups (OCG). Successful exploitation allows attackers to corrupt memory, hijack control flow, or perform code-reuse attacks, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution.
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>= 17.0, <= 17.011.30070>= -, <= 18.009.20050>= 15.0, <= 15.006.30394>= 17.0, <= 17.011.30070>= -, <= 18.009.20050>= 15.0, <= 15.006.30394CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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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Identify Adobe product and versionOpen Adobe Acrobat/Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader. Alternatively, check the executable properties of AcroRd32.exe or AcroFlex.exe in the installation directory, or check the registry key under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\[Version] for the InstallVersion.Affected if The installed product is Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat (any flavor) and the version falls within 15.0 to 15.006.30394, 17.0 to 17.011.30070, or up to 18.009.20050.
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Verify JavaScript is enabledIn Adobe Reader/Acrobat, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript. Check if the option 'Enable Adobe JavaScript' is checked. Alternatively, check the registry key under HKCU\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\[Version]\JSPlugins or HKLM equivalent.Affected if JavaScript execution is enabled in the application settings.
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Confirm the application handles PDF documentsThe application naturally processes PDF files. No specific action required beyond normal use.Affected if The user opens or processes PDF documents using the affected application.
You are affected if your installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version is within the ranges listed and JavaScript execution is enabled in the application preferences.
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 the latest patched version provided by Adobe. Alternatively, disable JavaScript execution in Adobe Acrobat Reader settings as a temporary workaround until the patch can be applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-4910 — 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-2018-4910 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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