CVE-2022-28231
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) is affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability when processing a doc object, which could result in a read past the end of an allocated memory structure. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to execute code 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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC when processing a doc object. The vulnerability allows reading past the end of an allocated memory structure, which could be leveraged for code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction in that a victim must 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, <= 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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Identify installed Adobe productOpen Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat DC. Go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Note the product name and version number displayed in the dialog.Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat DC
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Check version against affected range for 2022 releasesCompare your installed version number to the range 15.008.20082 through 22.001.20085. If your version falls within this range (for example 22.001.20085, 21.011.20093, 16.012.40220), you are affected.Affected if Version is 15.008.20082 or higher up to and including 22.001.20085
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Check version against affected range for 2017 releasesIf not in the 2022 range, compare your version to the range 17.011.30059 through 17.012.30205. Versions like 17.011.30059 through 17.012.30205 are affected.Affected if Version is 17.011.30059 through 17.012.30205
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Check version against affected range for 2020 releasesIf not in previous ranges, compare your version to 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30314 (or 20.005.30311 for Reader). Versions within this range are affected.Affected if Version is 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30314 (or 20.005.30311 for Reader)
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Verify exposure to malicious PDF filesConfirm whether the system opens PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources. The vulnerability is triggered only when a user opens a specially crafted malicious PDF file.Affected if Users on the system open PDF files from untrusted sources and the installed version matches any affected range above
A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat DC is installed with a version matching any of the three affected ranges (15.008.20082-22.001.20085, 17.011.30059-17.012.30205, or 20.001.30005-20.005.3031x) AND the system opens 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 a version later than 22.001.20085, 20.005.3031x, or 17.012.30205 as applicable. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files from unverified sources.
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC/Acrobat DC Continuous: 22.001.20093 or later; Classic 2020: 20.005.30318 or later; Classic 2017: 17.012.30207 or later
- 1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat
- 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates or use the Help menu
- 3. Allow the application to check for available updates
- 4. Install the latest available security update
- 5. Alternatively, download the latest version from adobe.com/downloads
- 6. Restart the application after updating
- 7. Verify the update was successful by checking Help > About Adobe Acrobat [Reader] DC
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-28231 — 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-2022-28231 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