CVE-2019-16444
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 , 2019.021.20056 and earlier, 2017.011.30152 and earlier, 2017.011.30155 and earlier version, 2017.011.30152 and earlier, and 2015.006.30505 and earlier have a binary planting (default folder privilege escalation) vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to privilege escalation.
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 · moderate confidenceThis is a binary planting vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader where an attacker can place a malicious executable in a default folder, causing it to be loaded in place of the legitimate application binary, leading to privilege escalation. The vulnerability affects multiple older versions across the 2015, 2017, and 2019 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>= 15.006.30060, < 15.006.30508>= 15.008.20082, < 19.021.20058>= 17.011.30059, < 17.011.30156>= 15.006.30060, < 15.006.30508>= 15.008.20082, < 19.021.20058>= 17.011.30059, < 17.011.30156CVSS 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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Check installed Adobe Acrobat versionOpen Adobe Acrobat, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry key at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\Version or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\VersionAffected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: 15.006.30060 to 15.006.30507, 15.008.20082 to 19.021.20057, or 17.011.30059 to 17.011.30155
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Check installed Adobe Reader versionOpen Adobe Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Reader. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry key at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader\DC\Version or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader\DC\VersionAffected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: 15.006.30060 to 15.006.30507, 15.008.20082 to 19.021.20057, or 17.011.30059 to 17.011.30155
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Compare version to affected rangesIf you have the version number from either check above, verify whether it is less than 15.006.30508, OR greater than or equal to 15.008.20082 but less than 19.021.20058, OR greater than or equal to 17.011.30059 but less than 17.011.30156Affected if Any of these conditions are true: version >= 15.006.30060 AND < 15.006.30508, OR version >= 15.008.20082 AND < 19.021.20058, OR version >= 17.011.30059 AND < 17.011.30156
You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader DC is installed and the version number matches one of the vulnerable ranges listed above.
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 · scoped15.006.3050817.011.3015619.021.20058
Update Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the latest patched version as released by Adobe. In enterprise environments, prioritize patching systems with elevated privileges or those handling sensitive documents.
Adobe Acrobat DC/Reader DC version 19.021.20058 or later (2019 track), 17.011.30156 or later (2017 track), or 15.006.30508 or later (2015 Classic track)
- 1. Verify current Adobe Acrobat or Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
- 2. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC from the official Adobe website (helpx.adobe.com) or your organization's software distribution center.
- 3. Close all running instances of Adobe Acrobat or Reader.
- 4. Run the installer for the downloaded version.
- 5. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade.
- 6. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm the version is 19.021.20058 or later for 2019 releases, 17.011.30156 or later for 2017 releases, or 15.006.30508 or later for the Classic 2015 releases.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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-2019-16444 — 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-2019-16444 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data