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Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2021-44706

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 21.007.20099 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 version 21.007.20099 (and earlier), 20.004.30017 (and earlier) and 17.011.30204 (and earlier) are affected by a use-after-free vulnerability in the processing of Format event actions that could result 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 confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC's processing of Format event actions allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a maliciously crafted PDF file. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management during event action processing, enabling an attacker to exploit freed memory.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to a patched version (newer than 21.007.20099, 20.004.30017, or 17.011.30204) or apply Adobe's security patches. Implement application whitelisting and train users to avoid opening untrusted PDF files.

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, <= 21.007.20099
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, <= 21.007.20099
AcrobatApplication
Affected:>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.011.30204>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.004.30017
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.011.30204>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.004.30017

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:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Identify if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed
    Check for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader in the list of installed programs (Windows: Control Panel > Programs and Features; macOS: Applications folder). Look for executables such as AcroRd32.exe, AcroForm, or Adobe Acrobat in system directories.
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is present on the system
  2. Determine the exact product name and variant
    Open Adobe Acrobat/Reader and go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or About Adobe Reader). Note whether it is Acrobat or Reader, and whether it is DC or classic (2017/2020) variant. The DC versions use 15.x and 21.x numbering, while classic versions use 17.x and 20.x.
    Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat DC (DC variants with version numbers starting with 15.x or 21.x)
  3. Obtain the installed version number
    In the About dialog, note the exact version number displayed (for example, 21.007.20093). On Windows, you can also right-click the executable (AcroRd32.exe or AcroDist.exe in the installation folder), select Properties, and check the File version tab.
    Affected if Version number matches the affected ranges: 15.008.20082 through 21.007.20099 (DC versions), 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30204, or 20.001.30005 through 20.004.30017 (classic versions)
  4. Compare version against affected ranges
    For DC versions: check if version is >= 15.008.20082 AND <= 21.007.20099. For classic versions: check if version is >= 17.011.30059 AND <= 17.011.30204, OR >= 20.001.30005 AND <= 20.004.30017.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the listed vulnerable ranges, indicating the Format event action processing is affected

A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed with a version number matching the vulnerable ranges (15.008.20082-21.007.20099 for DC, 17.011.30059-17.011.30204 or 20.001.30005-20.004.30017 for classic versions).

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 21.007.20099
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to a patched version (newer than 21.007.20099, 20.004.30017, or 17.011.30204) or apply Adobe's security patches. Implement application whitelisting and train users to avoid opening untrusted PDF files.

Recommended fix High confidence

Acrobat DC/Reader DC: 21.008.x or later | Acrobat/Reader 2020: 20.005.x or later | Acrobat/Reader 2017: 17.012.x or later

  1. 1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system
  2. 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates (or Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader)
  3. 3. Allow the application to check for available updates
  4. 4. If updates are available, download and install the latest version
  5. 5. Alternatively, download the latest versions directly from the official Adobe website at https://get.adobe.com/reader/ or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/
  6. 6. After updating, verify the version number matches or exceeds: 21.008.x for DC versions, 20.005.x for 2020 track versions, or 17.012.x for 2017 track versions
  7. 7. Restart the application after installation completes
Caveat Standard Adobe update - minimal risk; always backup critical documents before updating PDF software

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2021-44706 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