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Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2019-16455

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-12-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.006.30508 / 17.011.30156 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
Adobe 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 untrusted pointer dereference 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 confidence

Untrusted pointer dereference vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted PDF documents. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of pointer references within the affected software versions.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches by updating Adobe Acrobat and Reader to versions later than 2019.021.20056, 2017.011.30152, 2017.011.30155, and 2015.006.30505. Prioritize patching due to the critical CVSS score and active exploitation potential.

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
Acrobat DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.006.30060, < 15.006.30508>= 15.008.20082, < 19.021.20058>= 17.011.30059, < 17.011.30156
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.006.30060, < 15.006.30508>= 15.008.20082, < 19.021.20058>= 17.011.30059, < 17.011.30156

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
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 checks

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

  1. Verify Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed
    Check Windows registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Acrobat.exe or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\AcroRd32.exe, or inspect Program Files for Adobe folder
    Affected if Either Acrobat.exe or AcroRd32.exe exists on the system
  2. Identify the installed product version
    Right-click the executable (Acrobat.exe or AcroRd32.exe), select Properties, and read the File Version field on the Details tab
    Affected if The displayed version matches one of the affected ranges
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Match the installed version number against: 15.006.30060 through 15.006.30507; 15.008.20082 through 19.021.20057; 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30155
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these three ranges
  4. Confirm the software handles PDF files
    Check file association for .pdf files or verify the application is set as default PDF handler via Default Apps settings
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is the default PDF handler and the version is in the affected range

The system is affected if Adobe Acrobat DC or Acrobat Reader DC is installed with a version matching any of the three vulnerable ranges (15.006.30060-15.006.30507, 15.008.20082-19.021.20057, or 17.011.30059-17.011.30155) and is configured to open PDF files.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 15.006.30508 / 17.011.30156 / 19.021.20058 or later
Fixed in 15.006.3050817.011.3015619.021.20058
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches by updating Adobe Acrobat and Reader to versions later than 2019.021.20056, 2017.011.30152, 2017.011.30155, and 2015.006.30505. Prioritize patching due to the critical CVSS score and active exploitation potential.

Recommended fix High confidence

Acrobat/Reader DC 15.006.30508 or later for 2015 track; 17.011.30156 or later for 2017 track; 19.021.20058 or later for 2020 track

  1. 1. Close all instances of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
  2. 2. Back up any important PDF documents as a precaution
  3. 3. Open Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
  4. 4. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates (or use the Help menu)
  5. 5. Allow the application to check for and download the latest updates
  6. 6. If automatic updates are disabled, download the appropriate installer from the official Adobe website: https://get.adobe.com/reader/ or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/
  7. 7. Run the installer with administrator privileges
  8. 8. Restart the computer after installation completes
Caveat Standard minor version upgrades typically have no breaking changes; however, some older plugins or workflows may need verification after updating

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Acrobat Dc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.

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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-2019-16455 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