CVE-2021-44708
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 heap 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 confidenceThis is a heap overflow vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC that occurs when parsing a specially crafted PDF file. The vulnerability allows attackers to overflow heap memory by providing malicious input, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires the victim to open a malicious 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 is installedCheck for the presence of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader on the system. Common installation paths: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\, C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\, or check Add/Remove Programs.Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the system
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Identify the installed version numberLocate the main executable (AcroRd32.exe for Reader or Acrobat.exe for full Acrobat) and check its file properties, or access the version through Help > About in the application. The version format appears as XX.XXX.XXXXX (e.g., 21.007.20099).Affected if Unable to determine the version - manual verification may be required
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Compare version against affected rangesCompare your installed version against these vulnerable ranges: 15.008.20082 through 21.007.20099 for DC versions; 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30204 and 20.001.30005 through 20.004.30017 for classic versions.Affected if Installed version falls within any of the following 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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Assess risk of opening untrusted PDFsDetermine if users in the environment routinely open PDF files from external or untrusted sources, as exploitation requires a user to open a specially crafted malicious PDF file.Affected if Users regularly open PDF attachments from external or untrusted sources without additional verification
A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed with a version matching the ranges 15.008.20082-21.007.20099, 17.011.30059-17.011.30204, or 20.001.30005-20.004.30017 AND they may open PDF files from untrusted sources.
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 patched version beyond 21.007.20099, 20.004.30017, and 17.011.30204. Additionally, exercise caution when opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider using protected view features in Acrobat.
Adobe Acrobat DC 21.012.20093 or later (Classic track: 21.005.20093 or later); For 20.x track: 20.005.30010 or later; For 17.x track: 17.012.20093 or later
- Open Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader and navigate to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader) to confirm the current version number
- Close all Adobe applications before updating
- Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat DC or Acrobat Reader DC from the official Adobe website (get.adobe.com/reader for Reader, or adobe.com for Acrobat)
- Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
- After installation, verify the version by returning to Help > About and confirm the version is 21.012.20093 or later for DC versions, or the latest available version for Classic tracks
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 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-2021-44708 — 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-2021-44708 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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