dbcve.org
Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2021-45067

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 21.007.20099 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 an Access of Memory Location After End of Buffer vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass mitigations such as ASLR. 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

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC contains an out-of-bounds memory read vulnerability where the software accesses memory locations beyond buffer boundaries. This memory disclosure could expose sensitive information and potentially aid in bypassing ASLR security mitigations. Exploitation requires user interaction through opening a malicious PDF file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to a version newer than 21.007.20099, 20.004.30017, or 17.011.30204 as specified in the Adobe security bulletin. Avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Check if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed
    On Windows, open Programs and Features or check C:\Program Files\Adobe for Acrobat/Reader folders. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
    Affected if Neither Adobe Acrobat nor Adobe Reader is installed on the system.
  2. Determine the installed version number
    Open Adobe Acrobat/Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader). The version displays as a number like 21.007.20099. Alternatively on Windows, check the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat\Install\{version} or use the command: powershell (Get-Item 'C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\AcroRd32.exe').VersionInfo.FileVersion
    Affected if Unable to determine the version number.
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Match your installed version to these ranges: Acrobat/Reader DC (Continuous): 15.008.20082 through 21.007.20099; Acrobat/Reader 17.x: 17.011.30059 through 17.011.30204; Acrobat/Reader 20.x: 20.001.30005 through 20.004.30017. Versions outside these ranges are not affected.
    Affected if Your installed version falls within any of these ranges: 15.008.20082-21.007.20099, 17.011.30059-17.011.30204, or 20.001.30005-20.004.30017.
  4. Confirm the exploitation context
    The vulnerability requires a user to open a maliciously crafted PDF file. Check whether your environment handles PDF files from untrusted sources, and whether the product has JavaScript or other scripting features enabled which could aid exploitation.
    Affected if Users in your environment open PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources, and the product is within the affected version range.

You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed and its version number falls within 15.008.20082-21.007.20099, 17.011.30059-17.011.30204, or 20.001.30005-20.004.30017.

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 version newer than 21.007.20099, 20.004.30017, or 17.011.30204 as specified in the Adobe security bulletin. Avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Acrobat DC/Reader DC: version 21.008.x or later; Acrobat/Reader 20.x: version 20.005.x or later; Acrobat/Reader 17.x: version 17.012.x or later (or migrate to DC versions)

  1. Navigate to Adobe's official security bulletin page for this CVE at helpx.adobe.com
  2. Locate the security update section for Acrobat and Reader
  3. Download and install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
  4. Alternatively, open Adobe Acrobat/Reader, go to Help > Check for Updates, and install any available security updates
  5. Ensure the installed version is greater than 21.007.20099 for DC, greater than 20.004.30017 for version 20.x, or greater than 17.011.30204 for version 17.x
Caveat Upgrading between major version families may change UI and features; ensure compatibility with existing workflows

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-45067 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2021-45067 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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