CVE-2022-28236
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 confidenceThis is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC affecting versions 22.001.20085 and earlier, 20.005.3031x and earlier, and 17.012.30205 and earlier. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user, but requires the victim to open a malicious 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:3.1/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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Check if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installedOn Windows, open Programs and Features or check Registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader.Affected if Either Adobe Acrobat DC, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed
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Determine installed version on WindowsRight-click the application in Programs and Features and select Properties, or use PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Adobe*Acrobat*'} | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersionAffected if Version falls within 15.008.20082 to 22.001.20085 for DC products, or 17.011.30059 to 17.012.30205 / 20.001.30005 to 20.005.30314 for non-DC products
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Determine installed version on macOSOpen Finder, go to /Applications, right-click Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader, select Get Info, and note the Version number shown.Affected if Version falls within the affected ranges listed above
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Verify the specific product editionConfirm whether you have the full Adobe Acrobat or the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, as both are affected.Affected if Either the full Acrobat or the free Reader version is installed within the vulnerable version ranges
You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed and its version number falls within any of the listed vulnerable ranges (15.008.20082-22.001.20085 for DC, 17.011.30059-17.012.30205 or 20.001.30005-20.005.30314 for non-DC).
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 patched version. Since exploitation requires user interaction, exercise caution when opening PDF files from untrusted sources.
Acrobat Reader DC/Acrobat DC: Upgrade to version 22.001.20093 or later for the 2022 track; version 20.005.30315 or later for the 2020 track; version 17.012.30207 or later for the 2017 track
- 1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader on the affected system
- 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates (or use the Help menu)
- 3. Allow the application to check for available updates
- 4. If updates are available, review the update details to ensure it includes the CVE-2022-28228236 fix
- 5. Download and install the recommended security update
- 6. Alternatively, visit the official Adobe support page at helpx.adobe.com to manually download the latest version for your product line
- 7. After installation, verify the version by going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (or About Adobe Acrobat DC)
- 8. Confirm the version is at or above the fixed release for your product track
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-2022-28236 — 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-2022-28236 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