CVE-2019-16448
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 an use after free vulnerability. 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 · moderate confidenceUse-after-free memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader affecting multiple version families (2015, 2017, 2019). The vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by exploiting freed memory that is still referenced, leading to potential complete system compromise.
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 version on WindowsOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\[Version] (e.g., DC, 2015, 2017) or use command: Get-ItemProperty 'C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\Acrobat.exe' | Select-Object VersionInfoAffected if Version falls within 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 Acrobat Reader version on WindowsOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader\[Version] or use command: Get-ItemProperty 'C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\Reader\AcroRd32.exe' | Select-Object VersionInfoAffected if Version falls within 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 Adobe product installation via command lineRun: wmic product where "name like 'Adobe Acrobat%' or name like 'Adobe Reader%'" get name,versionAffected if Any listed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version matches the affected ranges above
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Verify update channel type (Continuous vs Classic)Check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\InstallProperties for 'UpdateChannel' value - Continuous versions show 'Continuous' while Classic shows version-specific namesAffected if The installed version is unpatched regardless of channel, but ensure the specific version number falls in affected ranges
User is affected if any installed Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC version is between 15.006.30060 and 15.006.30507, between 15.008.20082 and 19.021.20057, or between 17.011.30059 and 17.011.30155.
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
Apply vendor-supplied patches: update Adobe Acrobat and Reader to versions 2019.021.20061 or later for 2019 track, 2017.011.30156 or later for 2017 track, and 2015.006.30510 or later for 2015 track. Prioritize network-facing and frequently-used systems given the critical (9.8) severity and public exploit potential.
Adobe Acrobat/Reader 15.006.30508 (2015 track), 17.011.30156 (2017 track), or 19.021.20058 (2019 track)
- 1. Determine your current Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version by opening the application, clicking Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader)
- 2. Identify which version track you are on (2015, 2017, or 2019) based on your version number
- 3. For 2015 track (versions 15.x): Upgrade to version 15.006.30508 or later
- 4. For 2017 track (versions 17.x): Upgrade to version 17.011.30156 or later
- 5. For 2019 track (versions 19.x): Upgrade to version 19.021.20058 or later
- 6. Download the appropriate fixed version from the official Adobe Acrobat download page: https://get.adobe.com/reader/ or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/
- 7. Close all Adobe applications before running the installer
- 8. Install the updated version and restart your computer if prompted
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-2019-16448 — 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-2019-16448 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