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Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2020-3795

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-03-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.006.30518 / 17.011.30166 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 2020.006.20034 and earlier, 2017.011.30158 and earlier, 2017.011.30158 and earlier, 2015.006.30510 and earlier, and 2015.006.30510 and earlier have an out-of-bounds write 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 · high confidence

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in Adobe Acrobat and Reader that allows writing data beyond allocated memory boundaries. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the latest patched versions immediately. Prioritize systems running affected versions given the critical CVSS score and potential for code execution.

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, < 15.006.30518>= 15.008.20082, < 20.006.20042>= 17.011.30059, < 17.011.30166
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.006.30060, < 15.006.30518>= 15.008.20082, < 20.006.20042>= 17.011.30059, < 17.011.30166

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 for the application in the Windows Programs and Features list, or look for Adobe Acrobat/Reader folders in Program Files (e.g., C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat DC or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Reader DC).
    Affected if Either Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Reader DC is present on the system.
  2. Identify the installed version number
    Open the application and navigate to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader, or check the Windows registry key at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{AC76BA86-7AD7-xxxx-xxxx-XXXXXXXXXXXX} for the DisplayVersion value.
    Affected if The version number cannot be determined or the product is not found.
  3. Compare against affected version ranges
    Match the identified version against the following vulnerable ranges: 15.006.30060 through 15.006.30517; 15.008.20082 through 20.006.20041; 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30165. These ranges cover both Acrobat DC and Reader DC.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the three vulnerable ranges listed.
  4. Confirm product type (Acrobat vs Reader)
    Distinguish between Adobe Acrobat DC (paid) and Adobe Reader DC (free) by checking the installed folder name or the product name in Programs and Features. Both are equally affected by this CVE.
    Affected if Either product type is installed with a vulnerable version.

The system is affected if Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Reader DC is installed with a version matching any of the three vulnerable ranges: 15.006.30060 to 15.006.30517, 15.008.20082 to 20.006.20041, or 17.011.30059 to 17.011.30165.

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 15.006.30518 / 17.011.30166 / 20.006.20042 or later
Fixed in 15.006.3051817.011.3016620.006.20042
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the latest patched versions immediately. Prioritize systems running affected versions given the critical CVSS score and potential for code execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 15.006.30518 (Classic 2015), 17.011.30166 (Classic 2017), or 20.006.20042 (Continuous)

  1. 1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader
  2. 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates (or on macOS, Acrobat/Reader > Check for Updates)
  3. 3. Allow the update checker to run and install any available security updates
  4. 4. Alternatively, download the latest version from the official Adobe website: https://get.adobe.com/reader/ (for Reader) or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/ (for Acrobat)
  5. 5. After updating, verify the version by going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader
  6. 6. Confirm the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release: 15.006.30518 (2015 track), 17.011.30166 (2017 track), or 20.006.20042 (2020 track)
Caveat Adobe updates may include feature changes; ensure compatibility with existing PDF workflows and plugins before deploying enterprise-wide

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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,320
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,712.

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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-2020-3795 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