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Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-28241

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 22.001.20085 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 22.001.2011x (and earlier), 20.005.3033x (and earlier) and 17.012.3022x (and earlier) are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability when parsing a crafted file, 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 confidence

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability when parsing crafted PDF files. 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 (opening a malicious file).

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to the latest patched version (22.001.20142 or later for the 22.x track, 20.005.30433 or later for the 20.x track, 17.012.30293 or later for the 17.x track). Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown 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, <= 22.001.20085
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, <= 22.001.20085
AcrobatApplication
Affected:>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.012.30205>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30314>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30311
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 17.011.30059, <= 17.012.30205>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30314>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30311

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed
    On Windows, check Add/Remove Programs or look for Acrobat/Reader in the Start menu. On Mac, check the Applications folder for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
    Affected if The product is not installed (not affected) or is installed (continue to next check)
  2. Determine the exact version of Adobe Acrobat or Reader
    On Windows: Open the application, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader to see the exact version number. Alternatively, right-click the executable (AcroRd32.exe or AcroExch.exe) in the program files folder and select Properties > Details to view the File Version.
    Affected if The version cannot be determined (skip to verdict hint)
  3. Compare the installed version against affected ranges for DC products
    For Adobe Acrobat DC or Reader DC, check if version is between 15.008.20082 and 22.001.20085 inclusive. Note that 22.x versions up to 22.001.20085 are affected.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the range >= 15.008.20082 and <= 22.001.20085 for DC products
  4. Compare the installed version against affected ranges for 2017 products
    For Adobe Acrobat/Reader 2017 (17.x), check if version is between 17.011.30059 and 17.012.30205 inclusive.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the range >= 17.011.30059 and <= 17.012.30205
  5. Compare the installed version against affected ranges for 2020 products
    For Adobe Acrobat/Reader 2020 (20.x), check if version is between 20.001.30005 and 20.005.30314 or 20.005.30311 (the exact upper bound varies by minor release track).
    Affected if The installed version falls within the range >= 20.001.30005 and <= 20.005.30314 (or 20.005.30311 depending on specific release)

The environment is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed AND the version number falls within any of the affected ranges (15.008.20082-22.001.20085 for DC, 17.011.30059-17.012.30205 for 2017, or 20.001.30005-20.005.30314 for 2020).

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 22.001.20085
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to the latest patched version (22.001.20142 or later for the 22.x track, 20.005.30433 or later for the 20.x track, 17.012.30293 or later for the 17.x track). Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Acrobat DC/Reader DC 22.001.2012 or later; 20.005.3034 or later; 17.012.3023 or later (choose the track matching your deployment)

  1. Navigate to the Adobe Acrobat download page at helpx.adobe.com or open Adobe Acrobat/Reader
  2. Check your current version by going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader)
  3. Download and install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat DC or Acrobat Reader DC from the official Adobe website
  4. Alternatively, use the automatic update feature: Help > Check for Updates
  5. After installation, verify the version matches or exceeds the fixed releases: 22.001.2012 or later for the 2022 track, 20.005.3034 or later for the 2020 track, and 17.012.3023 or later for the 2017 track
  6. Ensure all instances of Adobe Acrobat/Reader are closed during the update process
  7. After updating, apply any subsequent security patches released after this CVE
Caveat Adobe updates may include minor UI or feature changes; ensure compatibility testing with any integrated PDF workflows

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Acrobat Dc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2022-28241 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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