CVE-2021-44707
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 an out-of-bounds write vulnerability 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 confidenceAdobe Acrobat Reader DC contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in versions 21.007.20099 and earlier, 20.004.30017 and earlier, and 17.011.30204 and earlier. Exploitation requires a user to open a malicious PDF file, which can result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user's privileges.
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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Locate Adobe Acrobat or Reader installationOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or right-click the Adobe Acrobat/Reader shortcut and select Properties, to find the installed product name and version numberAffected if The product name includes Adobe Acrobat DC, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader and the version falls within any of these ranges: 15.008.20082 to 21.007.20099, 17.011.30059 to 17.011.30204, or 20.001.30005 to 20.004.30017
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Check the executable versionNavigate to the Adobe installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\) right-click on AcroRd32.exe or Acrofx.exe, select Properties, and view the File Version fieldAffected if The file version matches any of the affected version ranges listed above
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Verify product build numberLaunch Adobe Acrobat or Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat) to display the detailed build number and version informationAffected if The build number displayed is 21.007.20099 or earlier, 20.004.30017 or earlier, or 17.011.30204 or earlier
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Confirm PDF handling is enabledThis vulnerability is triggered when a user opens a maliciously crafted PDF file. The software must be able to process PDF documents for exploitation to occurAffected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed and capable of opening PDF files, as this is the default functionality required for exploitation
You are affected if Adobe Acrobat DC, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed with a version number within the affected ranges (15.008.20082 to 21.007.20099, 17.011.30059 to 17.011.30204, or 20.001.30005 to 20.004.30017), as the vulnerability can be triggered by opening a malicious PDF file.
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 · scopedUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to the latest version by applying the official security patches from Adobe.
Adobe Acrobat DC/Reader DC latest version (beyond 21.007.20099, 20.004.30017, or 17.011.30204)
- 1. Close all Adobe Acrobat or Reader instances that are currently running
- 2. Navigate to the official Adobe download page: https://get.adobe.com/reader/ (for Reader) or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/ (for Acrobat)
- 3. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat DC
- 4. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation
- 5. Alternatively, use Adobe's official patch/update mechanism by opening the application and going to Help > Check for Updates
- 6. Verify the installation completed successfully by checking Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC to confirm the version is beyond the affected ranges (greater than 21.007.20099, 20.004.30017, or 17.011.30204)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-44707 — 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-2021-44707 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
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