dbcve.org
AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2018-4911

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-02-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 18.009.20050 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 is an instance of a use after free vulnerability in the JavaScript API related to bookmark functionality. The vulnerability is triggered by crafted JavaScript code embedded within a PDF file. 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 confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader's JavaScript API specifically affects bookmark functionality. The flaw is triggered when a user opens a PDF file containing specially crafted JavaScript code, allowing an attacker to corrupt memory and potentially achieve code execution through control-flow hijacking or code reuse techniques.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version. As a temporary workaround, disable JavaScript execution in Acrobat Reader or use a PDF sanitizer before opening files from untrusted sources.

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Adobe Acrobat Reader version
    Open Adobe Acrobat Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat for the Pro version) to display the exact version number and build information
    Affected if The displayed version falls within these ranges: 17.0 through 17.011.30070; versions 15.0 through 15.006.30394; or versions up to 18.009.20050 (no lower bound specified)
  2. Confirm JavaScript API is enabled
    In Adobe Reader, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript and verify the 'Enable Adobe JavaScript' checkbox is ticked
    Affected if JavaScript execution is enabled in the application settings (required condition for the vulnerability to be exploitable)
  3. Verify bookmark functionality is accessible
    Open any PDF document and check if the bookmark panel (typically on the left side) is visible or can be accessed via View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Bookmarks
    Affected if The bookmarks panel is accessible and the application loads bookmark-related JavaScript functions (the specific attack surface for this CVE)
  4. Confirm product type matches affected list
    Determine if you are running Adobe Acrobat (Pro/Standard), Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Acrobat Dc, or Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc
    Affected if The installed product is any of these four variants and the version falls within the affected ranges listed

You are affected if your Adobe Acrobat/Reader version is between 15.0 and 18.009.20050 (or 17.0-17.011.30070) AND JavaScript execution is enabled, as the use-after-free in bookmark JavaScript functionality requires both conditions.

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. As a temporary workaround, disable JavaScript execution in Acrobat Reader or use a PDF sanitizer before opening files from untrusted sources.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-4911 — 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-2018-4911 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