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Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2021-28560

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 21.001.20150 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Acrobat Reader DC versions versions 2021.001.20150 (and earlier), 2020.001.30020 (and earlier) and 2017.011.30194 (and earlier) are affected by a Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue 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 confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC allows remote code execution via malicious PDF file. When a victim opens the specially crafted PDF, the overflow corrupts heap memory enabling attacker-controlled code execution in the current user's context.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to version 2021.001.20155 (or later for 2021 track), 2021.001.30025 (or later for 2020 track), or 2017.011.30196 (or later for 2017 track). Supplement with user training to avoid opening untrusted PDF attachments.

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:>= 15.008.20082, <= 21.001.20150
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, <= 21.001.20150
AcrobatApplication
Affected:>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.011.30194>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.001.30020
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.011.30194>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.001.30020

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Adobe product
    Check installed programs in Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or review the program's Help > About menu. Look for Adobe Acrobat DC, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
    Affected if The product name contains Adobe Acrobat (DC or classic) or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  2. Determine the exact version number
    For Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC: Open the application, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC, and note the version displayed (format: YYMM.xxxxxx, for example 21.001.20150). For classic Adobe Acrobat/Reader: Check Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader for version like 17.011.30194.
    Affected if A version number is displayed in the About dialog.
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Match your installed version to the affected ranges: For DC products: versions 15.008.20082 through 21.001.20150. For classic products: versions 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30194, OR versions 20.001.30005 through 20.001.30020.
    Affected if Your installed version falls within any of these ranges.
  4. Verify the application can open PDF files
    Confirm the installed product has PDF rendering capabilities enabled. Check if the application can open and display PDF documents.
    Affected if The product is a full Acrobat/Reader variant (not a limited trial or disabled version) and can process PDF files.

You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed with a version between 15.008.20082 and 21.001.20150 (DC), between 17.011.30059 and 17.011.30194, or between 20.001.30005 and 20.001.30020 (classic), and the application can open PDF files.

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 a release after 21.001.20150
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to version 2021.001.20155 (or later for 2021 track), 2021.001.30025 (or later for 2020 track), or 2017.011.30196 (or later for 2017 track). Supplement with user training to avoid opening untrusted PDF attachments.

Recommended fix High confidence

Acrobat DC 2021.001.20155 or later; Acrobat Reader DC 2021.001.20155 or later; Acrobat 2020.001.30025 or later; Acrobat Reader 2020.001.30025 or later; Acrobat 2017.011.30215 or later; Acrobat Reader 2017.011.30215 or later

  1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader
  2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates or use the Help menu
  3. Allow the application to check for and install the latest updates
  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. Restart the application after updates complete
  6. Verify the version by going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader
Caveat Standard upgrade within same major version line; minimal risk of breaking changes for typical use cases

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Acrobat Dc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-28560 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