CVE-2022-28234
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 a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability due to insecure handling of a crafted .pdf file, potentially resulting in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction in that a victim must open a crafted .pdf 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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC when parsing a crafted PDF file, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution in the current user's context. The vulnerability exists due to insecure handling of malformed PDF content during file parsing.
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:3.1/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 if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installedCheck for Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC in the list of installed programs on Windows (Add/Remove Programs), or locate the application in the Applications folder on macOS. Look for executable files such as AcroRd32.exe or AcroTray.exe in the installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat DC\ or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader DC\).Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the system
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Retrieve the installed version numberIn Windows, right-click the Adobe Acrobat or Reader icon, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Product version. Alternatively, open Adobe Acrobat/Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader to display the exact version number.Affected if A version number is displayed showing a release within the listed affected version ranges
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Compare version against affected rangesMatch the installed version number to the affected ranges: Acrobat DC/Reader DC versions 15.008.20082 through 22.001.20085; Acrobat/Reader versions 17.011.30059 through 17.012.30205, 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30314, or 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30311.Affected if The installed version falls within or equals any of these ranges: 15.008.20082 to 22.001.20085, 17.011.30059 to 17.012.30205, 20.001.30005 to 20.005.30314, or 20.001.30005 to 20.005.30311
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Confirm PDF processing capability is enabledVerify that the application can open and parse PDF files, which is the default functionality. Check if the PDF file association is registered and the application can launch with a PDF document.Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is functional and can process PDF files, enabling the malformed PDF parsing path that triggers the vulnerability
You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed with a version number within the ranges 15.008.20082-22.001.20085, 17.011.30059-17.012.30205, 20.001.30005-20.005.30314, or 20.001.30005-20.005.30311 and the application can parse PDF files.
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 newer than 22.001.20085, 20.005.3031x, or 17.012.30205. Additionally, enforce policies prohibiting users from opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files from unknown sources.
Adobe Acrobat/Reader 22.001.20093+ (22.x track), 20.005.30320+ (20.x track), or 17.012.30207+ (17.x track) depending on your product line
- 1. Navigate to the Adobe Acrobat and Reader security bulletins page at helpx.adobe.com for CVE-2022-28234
- 2. Identify your currently installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version by opening the application, selecting Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader)
- 3. Based on your current version, download the fixed release from Adobe's official download page: For version 22.x, upgrade to 22.001.20093 or later; For version 20.x, upgrade to 20.005.30320 or later; For version 17.x, upgrade to 17.012.30207 or later
- 4. Close all Adobe Acrobat or Reader instances
- 5. Download the appropriate installer from the official Adobe website
- 6. Run the installer with administrator privileges
- 7. Restart the application after installation completes
- 8. Verify the installed version by checking Help > About to confirm the fix is applied
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-28234 — 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-2022-28234 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