CVE-2020-24430
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 · uneditedAcrobat Reader DC versions 2020.012.20048 (and earlier), 2020.001.30005 (and earlier) and 2017.011.30175 (and earlier) are affected by a use-after-free vulnerability when handling malicious JavaScript. This vulnerability could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
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 confidenceUse-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC when handling malicious JavaScript. Exploitation occurs when a victim opens a specially crafted PDF file containing malicious JavaScript code, leading to arbitrary code execution in the current user's context. Multiple versions across three release tracks (2020, 2017, and legacy) are affected.
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<= 20.001.30005<= 17.011.30175<= 20.012.20048<= 20.001.30005<= 17.011.30175<= 20.012.20048CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installedOpen the application and navigate to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader, or on Windows check Add/Remove Programs for Adobe entriesAffected if The application is present on the system
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Identify the exact product and version numberIn the application, note the full version string shown in Help > About. Common version patterns include 20.x.x.x (2020 track), 17.x.x.x (2017/legacy track), or 15.x.x.x for older versionsAffected if The version falls within the affected ranges: Acrobat/Reader <= 20.001.30005, or Acrobat/Reader DC <= 20.012.20048, or Acrobat/Reader DC <= 17.011.30175
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Determine the release trackCheck if the version is from the 2020 track (20.x), 2017 track (17.x), or a legacy track. The version format and Help > About dialog typically indicate the track (Acrobat DC, Acrobat Reader DC, or just Acrobat)Affected if The track matches the affected version ranges for that specific release line
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Verify if JavaScript is enabled in the applicationGo to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript (or on Mac, Acrobat/Reader > Preferences > JavaScript) and check if Enable Adobe JavaScript is checkedAffected if JavaScript is enabled - this is required for the exploit to trigger when opening a malicious PDF
You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed with a version at or below 20.001.30005 (2020 track), 20.012.20048 (DC 2020 track), or 17.011.30175 (2017/legacy track), AND JavaScript execution is enabled in the application settings.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to a version newer than 2020.012.20048, 2020.001.30005, or 2017.011.30175 respectively. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-24430 — 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-2020-24430 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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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.
- 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