CVE-2018-4918
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 · uneditedAdobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2018.009.20050 and earlier, 2017.011.30070 and earlier, 2015.006.30394 and earlier have an exploitable out-of-bounds write vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.
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 confidenceThis is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader that allows memory corruption, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The vulnerability affects multiple older version ranges across the 2015, 2017, and 2018 product lines.
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>= 17.011.30070, < 17.011.30078>= 15.006.30394, < 15.006.30413>= 18.009.20050, < 18.011.20035>= 17.011.30070, < 17.011.30078>= 15.006.30394, < 15.006.30413>= 18.009.20050, < 18.011.20035CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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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Verify Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installedCheck for the application in typical installation paths (C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat <version> or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat <version> for Reader) or look for the product in Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if Neither Adobe Acrobat nor Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the system
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Identify the exact product variantDetermine whether you have Acrobat or Reader, and for DC versions identify whether it is the Classic or Continuous track. This can be done by checking the folder name under the Adobe installation directory or examining the product name in Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if The product cannot be identified as one of the affected variants (Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, Acrobat Dc, or Reader Dc)
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Locate the installed version numberRight-click on the executable (Acrobat.exe or AcroRd32.exe) in the installation folder, select Properties, and check the File Version on the Details tab. Alternatively, open the application and go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader)Affected if The version number cannot be determined or retrieved from the system
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Compare against affected version rangesFor Acrobat or Reader (non-DC): check if version is >= 17.011.30070 and < 17.011.30078. For DC Classic: check if version is >= 15.006.30394 and < 15.006.30413. For DC Continuous: check if version is >= 18.009.20050 and < 18.011.20035Affected if The installed version falls within any of the following ranges: 17.011.30070 to 17.011.30077, 15.006.30394 to 15.006.30412, or 18.009.20050 to 18.011.20034
You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is installed and the retrieved version matches one of the vulnerable ranges: 17.011.30070-17.011.30077 (2017), 15.006.30394-15.006.30412 (2015 DC Classic), or 18.009.20050-18.011.20034 (2018 DC Continuous).
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.
dbcve · scoped15.006.3041317.011.3007818.011.20035
Apply the appropriate Adobe security update to patch the out-of-bounds write vulnerability, or upgrade to a supported version beyond the affected releases (2018.009.20050, 2017.011.30070, 2015.006.30394).
Adobe Acrobat/Reader 2015 to 15.006.30413+, 2017 to 17.011.30078+, or 2018 to 18.011.20035+
- 1. Determine the installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
- 2. Identify which product line and version family applies to your installation (Acrobat/Acrobat Reader, Classic/2015/2017/2018, Continuous/Standard).
- 3. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 2015 (version 15.x): Upgrade to version 15.006.30413 or later.
- 4. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 2017 (version 17.x): Upgrade to version 17.011.30078 or later.
- 5. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 2018 (version 18.x): Upgrade to version 18.011.20035 or later.
- 6. Download the appropriate updated version from the official Adobe website or use the application's built-in update mechanism (Help > Check for Updates).
- 7. Ensure the updated version matches or exceeds the minimum fixed version for your product line.
- 8. Restart the application after installation and verify the version update was successful.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-4918 — 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-2018-4918 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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