CVE-2020-9592
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 2020.006.20042 and earlier, 2017.011.30166 and earlier, 2017.011.30166 and earlier, and 2015.006.30518 and earlier have a security bypass vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to security feature bypass.
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 confidenceAdobe Acrobat and Reader versions prior to the listed thresholds contain a security bypass vulnerability that could allow an attacker to circumvent security controls. The specific nature of the bypass is not detailed in the available advisory, but CVSS 7.8 indicates high-severity impact on confidentiality and integrity.
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
- 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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Identify if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installedCheck the application menu: open Acrobat or Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader). The version number displays in the dialog that appears.Affected if The application name shows Adobe Acrobat Dc or Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc
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Determine the exact installed version numberOn Windows, open Programs and Features (or Add/Remove Programs) and locate Adobe Acrobat Dc or Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc; the version column shows the installed build number. On macOS, open Finder, navigate to /Applications, right-click the Adobe app, and select Get Info to view the version.Affected if A version number is displayed (for example, 15.008.20082 or 17.011.30059)
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Compare the installed version against affected rangesMatch your installed version to the following vulnerable ranges: 15.006.30060 through 15.006.30518 (inclusive of start, exclusive of end); 15.008.20082 through 20.006.20042; 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30166. Any version that falls within these ranges is affected.Affected if The installed version is greater than or equal to 15.006.30060 AND less than 15.006.30518, OR greater than or equal to 15.008.20082 AND less than 20.006.20042, OR greater than or equal to 17.011.30059 AND less than 17.011.30166
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Confirm the product track (Continuous vs Classic)Adobe releases updates on two tracks: Continuous (monthly) and Classic (quarterly). The version number pattern helps distinguish them. Versions in the 15.008.x and 20.x ranges typically indicate Continuous track; versions in the 15.006.x and 17.011.x ranges typically indicate Classic track. Check your version against both tracks.Affected if The installed version matches either track's affected range, regardless of which track is in use
If the installed Adobe Acrobat Dc or Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc version falls within any of the three vulnerable ranges (15.006.30060 to 15.006.30518, 15.008.20082 to 20.006.20042, or 17.011.30059 to 17.011.30166), the environment is affected by this security bypass vulnerability.
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
Update Adobe Acrobat and Reader to the latest patched versions provided by Adobe's security bulletin. In enterprise environments, deploy the update through standard software distribution mechanisms and verify complete coverage across all endpoints.
- 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-2020-9592 — 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-2020-9592 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
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