CVE-2020-3804
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 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 read vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure .
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 confidenceAdobe Acrobat and Reader contain an out-of-bounds read vulnerability allowing unauthorized memory access. Successful exploitation enables information disclosure without requiring code execution. The vulnerability affects multiple version branches (2015, 2017, and 2020 releases) across both Standard and Classic tracks.
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, < 15.006.30518>= 15.008.20082, < 20.006.20042>= 17.011.30059, < 17.011.30166>= 15.006.30060, < 15.006.30518>= 15.008.20082, < 20.006.20042>= 17.011.30059, < 17.011.30166CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Identify installed Adobe productCheck if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader is installed. On Windows, check Programs and Features or use command: 'wmic product get name,version'. On macOS, check /Applications folder for 'Adobe Acrobat' or 'Adobe Reader'.Affected if Either Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Reader DC is installed
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Determine the exact version numberOpen the application, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader. Alternatively, on Windows right-click the executable and view Properties > Details. Note the full version number (e.g., 15.008.20082).Affected if Version number cannot be determined or differs from what was installed
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Compare version against affected rangesMatch your installed version against ALL affected ranges: 15.006.30060 through 15.006.30518, 15.008.20082 through 20.006.20042, and 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30166. Any version within these ranges is vulnerable.Affected if Installed version falls within any of the listed version ranges and is less than the fixed versions (15.006.30518, 20.006.20042, or 17.011.30166)
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Verify product track and build type (if needed for precise triage)If version is in the 15.x range, determine if it is a 2015 (Standard) or 2017/2020 (Classic) release by checking the second minor version (15.006.x = 2015, 15.008.x and above = 2017/2020). This helps identify the exact patch needed.Affected if Version is ambiguous and cannot be mapped to a specific release track
If Adobe Acrobat DC or Reader DC is installed and its version falls within any of the specified vulnerable ranges (15.006.30060-15.006.30518, 15.008.20082-20.006.20042, or 17.011.30059-17.011.30166), the environment is affected by CVE-2020-3804.
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 data15.006.3051817.011.3016620.006.20042
Apply Adobe's security patches to all affected Acrobat and Reader installations. Prioritize endpoints with access to sensitive documents, as the vulnerability enables memory contents to be read.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-3804 — 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-2020-3804 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