CVE-2022-28245
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 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 bypass mitigations such as ASLR. 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 read vulnerability when parsing crafted PDF files. The flaw allows reading past the end of an allocated memory structure, which could be leveraged to bypass ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) mitigations. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, specifically that a victim opens 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 Acrobat or Reader versionOn Windows, open the application and go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (or About Adobe Acrobat). The version number displays in the dialog. Alternatively, in Windows Explorer, right-click on AcroRd32.exe (Reader) or Acrobat.exe (Acrobat) in the program folder, select Properties, and check the File version on the Details tab.Affected if The version displayed falls within 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; 20.001.30005 to 20.005.30311.
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Confirm the product typeDetermine whether the installed product is Adobe Acrobat (full) or Adobe Acrobat Reader (free). This matters because the affected version ranges differ slightly between the two product lines.Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC within the 15.xx version range, or Adobe Acrobat/Reader version 17.xx, 20.xx within the listed ranges.
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Verify PDF parsing is enabledThis vulnerability is triggered when parsing PDF files. Confirm that PDF parsing functionality is available (it is enabled by default in standard installations).Affected if PDF files can be opened and rendered in the installed Adobe application.
A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader DC versions 15.008.20082 through 22.001.20085, or versions 17.011.30059 through 17.012.30205, or versions 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30314/30311 are installed on their system.
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 (22.001.2012x, 20.005.3034x, or 17.012.3023x and later). Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files from unverified sources as a defense-in-depth measure.
Acrobat DC/Reader DC: 22.001.20111+ | 20.x: 20.005.30334+ | 17.x: 17.012.30223+ (choose the appropriate branch matching your license type)
- 1. Verify current Adobe Acrobat or Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader)
- 2. Identify which product line and version branch applies to your installation (Acrobat DC/Reader DC vs Acrobat/Reader classic, and the 17.x, 20.x, or 22.x version family)
- 3. Download the latest version from the official Adobe Acrobat distribution channel (get.adobe.com/acrobat or your organization's licensed download portal)
- 4. For Acrobat DC/Reader DC: Ensure upgrade to version 22.001.20111 or later
- 5. For version 20.x line: Ensure upgrade to version 20.005.30334 or later
- 6. For version 17.x line: Ensure upgrade to version 17.012.30223 or later
- 7. Close all Adobe applications before running the installer
- 8. Install the updated version and restart the application
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-28245 — 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-2022-28245 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
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