CVE-2021-44703
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 version 21.007.20099 (and earlier), 20.004.30017 (and earlier) and 17.011.30204 (and earlier) are affected by a stack buffer overflow vulnerability due to insecure handling of a crafted file, potentially resulting in 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 stack buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC when parsing maliciously crafted PDF files. The vulnerability stems from insecure handling of the crafted file structure, allowing an attacker to overwrite stack memory and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction where the victim must open a specially crafted PDF 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>= 15.008.20082, <= 21.007.20099>= 15.008.20082, <= 21.007.20099>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.011.30204>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.004.30017>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.011.30204>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.004.30017CVSS 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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Verify Adobe Acrobat or Reader installationCheck for Adobe Acrobat/Reader installation on Windows via Registry key: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader, or inspect Program Files for Adobe foldersAffected if Adobe Acrobat DC, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader is present on the system
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Determine installed version numberQuery the version from the Registry key InstallVersion (e.g., HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\InstallVersion) or right-click the executable and select Properties > Details to view File VersionAffected if The version cannot be determined or is outside the installed version tracking
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Compare against affected version rangesMatch the installed version against these ranges: Acrobat/Reader DC: 15.008.20082 through 21.007.20099; Acrobat/Reader Classic 2017: 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30204; Acrobat/Reader Classic 2020: 20.001.30005 through 20.004.30017Affected if The installed version falls within any of these affected ranges and the user opens untrusted PDF files
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Identify deployment type (Continuous vs Classic)Check the product name in Registry or the application folder structure: 'Acrobat DC' or 'Acrobat Reader DC' indicates Continuous track; 'Acrobat 2017' or 'Acrobat 2020' indicates Classic trackAffected if The deployment type cannot be determined from available version information
A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed with a version between 15.008.20082 and 21.007.20099 (DC/Continuous), between 17.011.30059 and 17.011.30204 (Classic 2017), or between 20.001.30005 and 20.004.30017 (Classic 2020), and the system opens untrusted 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 · scopedApply the vendor-supplied security update: upgrade to Acrobat Reader DC Continuous 21.007.20099 or later, Classic 2020 20.004.30017 or later, or Classic 2017 17.011.30204 or later. Additionally, enforce user awareness to avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.
Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 21.008 or later (for Continuous track); 20.005 or later (for 2020 track); 17.012 or later (for 2017 track)
- Navigate to the official Adobe Acrobat download page at helpx.adobe.com or use the built-in Help > Check for Updates feature
- Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC for your platform
- Close all running instances of Adobe Acrobat/Reader
- Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation
- Restart your computer if prompted
- Launch Adobe Acrobat/Reader and verify the version by going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,320.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-44703 — 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-2021-44703 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