CVE-2022-27798
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 versions 22.001.20085 (and earlier), 20.005.3031x (and earlier) and 17.012.30205 (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 that allows a maliciously crafted PDF file to trigger memory corruption, leading to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The vulnerability requires user interaction—specifically opening a malicious PDF file—for exploitation.
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, <= 22.001.20085>= 15.008.20082, <= 22.001.20085>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.012.30205>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30314>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30311>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.012.30205>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30314>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30311CVSS 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:3.0/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 the installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader versionOpen Adobe Acrobat/Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). The version number appears in the dialog box. Alternatively, on Windows check Programs and Features or the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\InstallInfo, and on macOS check /Applications/Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.app/Contents/Info.plist or /Applications/Adobe Acrobat DC.app/Contents/Info.plistAffected if The displayed version falls within any of the following ranges: 15.008.20082 through 22.001.20085 for DC variants; 17.011.30059 through 17.012.30205 for version 17; 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30314 or 20.005.30311 for version 20 classics
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Confirm the product edition (Continuous vs Classic)In the About dialog, note the track identifier. The Continuous track shows a year-month version (such as 22.001.xxxxx), while Classic tracks show a year-first version (such as 20.005.xxxxx for Classic 2020 or 17.012.xxxxx for Classic 2017)Affected if A Continuous track version between 15.008.20082 and 22.001.20085 is affected, or a Classic 2020 version between 20.001.30005 and 20.005.30314/20.005.30311, or a Classic 2017 version between 17.011.30059 and 17.012.30205
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Determine if JavaScript for Adobe Acrobat is enabledGo to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript (in Reader or Acrobat). Verify whether the 'Enable Adobe JavaScript' checkbox is checked. Alternatively, check the registry on Windows at HKCU\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\JSPrefs or HKCU\Software\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\FeatureLockDown\cDefaultLaunchAttachmentPermsAffected if JavaScript is enabled (the vulnerability can be triggered through malicious PDF files that may leverage JavaScript actions, though user interaction is always required)
A user is affected if their installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version matches any of the specified vulnerable ranges and they open a maliciously 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 · scopedUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to the latest version (22.001.20093 or later for the Continuous track, 20.005.30334 or later for the Classic 2020 track, 17.012.30293 or later for the Classic 2017 track). Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC / Acrobat DC latest version (beyond 22.001.20085, 20.005.3031x, and 17.012.30205)
- 1. Close all Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader instances that are currently running
- 2. Navigate to the official Adobe download page at https://get.adobe.com/reader/ or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/
- 3. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat DC
- 4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
- 5. Restart your computer if prompted
- 6. After installation, verify the version by opening Adobe Acrobat/Reader and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader/Acrobat
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-27798 — 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-2022-27798 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data