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Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2021-40725

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2021-10-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 21.005.20060 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 2021.005.20060 (and earlier), 2020.004.30006 (and earlier) and 2017.011.30199 (and earlier) are affected by a use-after-free vulnerability when processing AcroForm listbox that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or 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

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC contains a use-after-free vulnerability in the AcroForm listbox processing component. When a malicious PDF file containing a specially crafted listbox is opened, the application improperly handles memory deallocation, allowing an attacker to reuse freed memory and achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to a patched version beyond 2021.005.20060, 2020.004.30006, or 2017.011.30199. Users should avoid opening untrusted PDF files or disable JavaScript execution in Reader settings as a defense-in-depth measure.

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:>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.011.30199>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.004.30006>= 15.008.20082, <= 21.005.20058>= 15.008.20082, <= 21.005.20060
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.011.30199>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.004.30006>= 15.008.20082, <= 21.005.20058>= 15.008.20082, <= 21.005.20060

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/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 checks

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

  1. Verify Adobe Acrobat or Reader DC is installed
    Check for the presence of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC in the system program list, or look for the executable (Acrobat.exe or AcroRd32.exe) in the installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat DC or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader DC)
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is installed on the system
  2. Determine the installed version number
    Open Adobe Acrobat or Reader, then navigate to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (or About Adobe Acrobat DC) to display the exact version and build number. Alternatively, right-click the executable, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the Product Version
    Affected if The displayed version matches one of the affected version ranges: 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30199, 20.001.30005 through 20.004.30006, 15.008.20082 through 21.005.20058, or 15.008.20082 through 21.005.20060
  3. Compare installed version to affected ranges
    Note the four-digit build number (for example, 21.005.20060) and compare it numerically against the affected ranges. Version 17.x builds from 30059 to 30199 are affected; 20.x builds from 30005 to 30006 are affected; 15.x/21.x builds from 20082 up to 20058 (or up to 20060 depending on channel) are affected
    Affected if The installed build number falls within any of the specified ranges inclusive
  4. Confirm the vulnerability trigger condition
    The vulnerability exists in AcroForm listbox processing. No configuration check is needed as the component is part of standard PDF form handling. The exploit requires opening a malicious PDF file containing a specially crafted listbox element
    Affected if A vulnerable version is installed and the user opens an untrusted PDF file containing a crafted listbox form element

The system is affected if Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is installed with a version build number falling within the specified vulnerable ranges and the user opens a malicious PDF with a crafted listbox.

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 21.005.20060
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to a patched version beyond 2021.005.20060, 2020.004.30006, or 2017.011.30199. Users should avoid opening untrusted PDF files or disable JavaScript execution in Reader settings as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC versions 2021.006.20060 and later, 2020.004.30007 and later, or 2017.011.30200 and later

  1. 1. Verify current Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader DC version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (or About Adobe Acrobat DC)
  2. 2. Close all Adobe applications completely
  3. 3. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Reader DC from the official Adobe website (get.adobe.com/reader for Reader, or adobe.com for Acrobat)
  4. 4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
  5. 5. Restart your computer if prompted
  6. 6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed releases: 2021.006.20060+, 2020.004.30007+, or 2017.011.30200+
Caveat Standard Adobe update - minimal risk; ensure backups of any locally stored form data before updating

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

Fix this in Acrobat Dc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2021-40725 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