CVE-2021-35980
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 · uneditedAcrobat Reader DC versions 2021.005.20054 (and earlier), 2020.004.30005 (and earlier) and 2017.011.30197 (and earlier) are affected by a Path traversal 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 confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC allows an unauthenticated attacker to escape directory restrictions and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user by tricking a victim into opening a malicious file.
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>= 17.011.30180, < 17.011.30199>= 20.001.30005, < 20.004.30006>= 15.007.20033, < 21.005.20058>= 17.011.30180, < 17.011.30199>= 20.001.30005, < 20.004.30006>= 15.007.20033, < 21.005.20058CVSS 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 installed Adobe productCheck if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the system. On Windows, check the installed programs list or look for the application in Program Files/Program Files (x86).Affected if The system has Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader installed
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Determine installed version numberOpen Adobe Acrobat/Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Note the version number displayed (e.g., 21.005.20054). Alternatively, on Windows check the registry key under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\Version or look at the executable properties.Affected if A version number is found that matches one of the affected product lines
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Compare version against affected rangesCheck if the installed version falls within: Adobe Acrobat/Reader 17.x: 17.011.30180 to 17.011.30198; Adobe Acrobat/Reader 20.x: 20.001.30005 to 20.004.30005; Adobe Acrobat/Acrobat Reader DC 15.x-21.x: 15.007.20033 to 21.005.20057Affected if The installed version is greater than or equal to the lower bound AND less than the upper bound for any of the listed version ranges
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Assess user interaction riskDetermine whether the user frequently opens PDF files from untrusted sources, receives email attachments, or downloads PDF documents from the internet.Affected if Users open PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources, making them susceptible to social engineering attacks
The environment is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed with a version number matching any of the specified vulnerable ranges and users may open malicious 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.
dbcve · scoped17.011.3019920.004.3000621.005.20058
Update Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to the latest version. Apply vendor patches for versions 2021.005.20054 and earlier, 2020.004.30005 and earlier, and 2017.011.30197 and earlier.
Adobe Acrobat/Reader 17.011.30199 or later for 17.x versions; 20.004.30006 or later for 20.x versions; 21.005.20058 or later for DC versions
- 1. Verify the currently installed Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
- 2. Identify which product line and version you have based on the version number displayed.
- 3. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader version 17.x: Upgrade to version 17.011.30199 or later.
- 4. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader version 20.x: Upgrade to version 20.004.30006 or later.
- 5. For Acrobat DC/Acrobat Reader DC (version 15.x through 21.x): Upgrade to version 21.005.20058 or later.
- 6. Download the appropriate updated version from the official Adobe website at get.adobe.com/reader or get.adobe.com/acrobat.
- 7. Close all Adobe applications before running the installer.
- 8. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-35980 — 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-2021-35980 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