CVE-2021-45064
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 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 confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC's processing of Format event actions allows arbitrary code execution when a victim opens a maliciously crafted PDF file. The vulnerability occurs due to improper memory management when handling specific PDF events, enabling an attacker to execute code 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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Identify installed Adobe productCheck system for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader installation. On Windows, check registry keys under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe, or look for the application in Program Files.Affected if Adobe Acrobat DC, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the system
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Determine installed versionOpen Adobe Acrobat/Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader to display the exact version number. Alternatively, check the version in the registry or the application's executable properties.Affected if Version number falls within any of these ranges: 15.008.20082 through 21.007.20099, 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30204, or 20.001.30005 through 20.004.30017
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Verify vulnerable feature is accessibleThe vulnerability exploits Format event actions in PDF files. While this is a built-in feature, confirm the application can process PDF event actions by examining whether the application handles interactive PDF forms or JavaScript-based PDF features.Affected if The application processes PDF files with interactive forms or event actions, which is standard behavior for Acrobat/Reader
A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed with a version matching any of the listed affected ranges, since the vulnerability triggers simply by opening a specially crafted 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 · scopedApply the vendor-supplied security updates from Adobe (versions 21.008.20048, 20.005.3001, or 17.011.30205 and later). Until patches are deployed, enforce strict policies against opening untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript execution in Acrobat Reader.
Acrobat DC/Reader DC 21.008.20092+ (2021 track); Acrobat/Reader 20.005.30006+ (2020 track); Acrobat/Reader 17.012.30010+ (2017 track)
- 1. Verify current Adobe Acrobat/Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader.
- 2. Close all Adobe applications completely before updating.
- 3. Download the latest version from the official Adobe website or use Adobe's auto-update feature (Help > Check for Updates).
- 4. For Windows: Run the downloaded installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation.
- 5. For macOS: Open the .dmg file and drag the application to the Applications folder, replacing the old version.
- 6. Restart your computer after installation completes.
- 7. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release version for your track.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-45064 — 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-2021-45064 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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