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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2018-4913

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 XFA engine, related to DOM manipulation. The vulnerability is triggered by crafted XFA script definitions in a PDF file. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.

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 XFA engine allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted XFA script definitions in malicious PDF files. The flaw stems from improper handling of DOM manipulation during XFA template processing, enabling memory corruption and code execution.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version (2018.009.20051 or later for the 2018 branch, and corresponding patched versions for 2017/2015 branches). Ensure corporate patch management processes deploy vendor security updates promptly.

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 if Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed
    Look for the application in typical installation paths: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\. On Windows, also check Add/Remove Programs or the Apps & features list.
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat is installed on the system
  2. Determine the installed version
    Open Adobe Acrobat Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Alternatively, right-click on the executable (e.g., AcroRd32.exe or AcroRd64.exe) and view Properties > Details to see the File Version.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within the affected ranges: 17.0 to 17.011.30070, versions up to 18.009.20050, or 15.0 to 15.006.30394
  3. Verify XFA feature is enabled
    In Adobe Acrobat Reader, go to Edit > Preferences > Forms. Look for the setting 'Automatically calculate field values' or check if XFA-based forms are being processed. Alternatively, open a PDF and check if the document uses XFA by viewing Document Properties (Ctrl+D) under the Advanced tab.
    Affected if XFA (XML Forms Architecture) support is enabled in the application preferences, allowing XFA-based PDF forms to render and execute scripts
  4. Confirm vulnerability condition
    Compare your installed version number against the affected version ranges provided. If the version is 17.0 through 17.011.30070, any version up to 18.009.20050, or 15.0 through 15.006.30394, and XFA is enabled, the environment is vulnerable.
    Affected if The installed version is within the affected ranges AND XFA processing is enabled, allowing malicious XFA scripts in PDF files to trigger the use-after-free condition

You are affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat is installed with a version matching 17.0-17.011.30070, any version through 18.009.20050, or 15.0-15.006.30394, and XFA form processing is enabled.

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 (2018.009.20051 or later for the 2018 branch, and corresponding patched versions for 2017/2015 branches). Ensure corporate patch management processes deploy vendor security updates promptly.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2018-4913 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