CVE-2020-9663
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 Reader Mobile versions 20.0.1 and earlier have a directory traversal 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 Reader Mobile versions 20.0.1 and earlier contain a directory traversal vulnerability that allows attackers to access files outside the intended restricted directory through specially crafted file paths, potentially exposing sensitive information on the device.
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<= 20.0.1CVSS 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
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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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Check installed Adobe Reader Mobile versionOpen the app store (Google Play Store or Apple App Store), go to Adobe Reader Mobile app page, and view the version information under 'App version' or 'Version' field. Alternatively, on Android check Settings > Apps > Adobe Reader > Version. On iOS, check the App Store app listing details.Affected if The installed version is 20.0.1 or any version number lower than 20.0.1 (e.g., 20.0.0, 19.x, 18.x, etc.)
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Confirm mobile Adobe Reader is in useVerify the application name is Adobe Reader (not Adobe Acrobat or other PDF viewers) and that it is the mobile application version for Android or iOS.Affected if The application is Adobe Reader Mobile for Android or iOS, not the desktop version
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Verify the application handles PDF files from external sourcesCheck if the app has been used to open or receive PDF files from external sources such as email attachments, downloaded files, or third-party app sharing.Affected if The app processes or has processed PDF files, which is the primary function that triggers the vulnerable code path for directory traversal exploitation
A user is affected if they have Adobe Reader Mobile version 20.0.1 or earlier installed on their Android or iOS device and use the app to open PDF files.
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 Reader Mobile to version 20.0.2 or later to obtain the vendor patch; verify that file path validation is properly enforced in the updated version.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-9663 — 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-2020-9663 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