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Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-28251

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 22.001.20085 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 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 confidence

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC when parsing crafted PDF files. The vulnerability allows reading past the end of allocated memory structures, which could enable an attacker to bypass ASLR mitigations. Exploitation requires user interaction—specifically opening a malicious PDF file.

MitigationApply Adobe's security updates for Acrobat Reader DC to obtain patched versions beyond 22.001.2011x, 20.005.3033x, and 17.012.3022x. Implement user training to avoid opening untrusted PDF files as an additional defense layer.

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Adobe product
    Open Adobe Acrobat or Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader (or About Adobe Reader). Note the version number displayed (for example, 22.001.20085).
    Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat DC, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  2. Check version against first affected range
    Compare your installed version to the range >= 15.008.20082 and <= 22.001.20085. If your version falls within this range, you are affected (this applies to DC product lines).
    Affected if Your version is between 15.008.20082 and 22.001.20085 inclusive for DC variants.
  3. Check version against second affected range (Classic 17.x)
    If using Classic (non-DC) version 17, compare your version to >= 17.011.30059 and <= 17.012.30205.
    Affected if Your Classic 17.x version is between 17.011.30059 and 17.012.30205 inclusive.
  4. Check version against third affected range (Classic 20.x first range)
    If using Classic (non-DC) version 20, compare your version to >= 20.001.30005 and <= 20.005.30314.
    Affected if Your Classic 20.x version is between 20.001.30005 and 20.005.30314 inclusive.
  5. Check version against fourth affected range (Classic 20.x second range)
    If using Classic (non-DC) version 20, compare your version to >= 20.001.30005 and <= 20.005.30311.
    Affected if Your Classic 20.x version is between 20.001.30005 and 20.005.30311 inclusive.

You are affected if your installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version falls within any of the listed vulnerable 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 you open crafted malicious PDF files.

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

Apply Adobe's security updates for Acrobat Reader DC to obtain patched versions beyond 22.001.2011x, 20.005.3033x, and 17.012.3022x. Implement user training to avoid opening untrusted PDF files as an additional defense layer.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe Acrobat DC (Continuous) 22.001.2012 or later; Adobe Acrobat DC (Classic) 20.005.3034 or later; Adobe Acrobat 2017 17.012.3023 or later (and corresponding Reader versions)

  1. 1. Verify the currently installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version by opening the application, clicking 'Help' > 'About Adobe Acrobat Reader' (or 'About Adobe Acrobat' for the full product).
  2. 2. Identify which product and version family (DC classic, DC continuous, 2017, or 2020) matches your installation.
  3. 3. For Adobe Acrobat DC (Continuous): If version is 22.001.2011x or earlier, upgrade to version 22.001.2012 or later.
  4. 4. For Adobe Acrobat DC (Classic): If version is 20.005.3033x or earlier, upgrade to version 20.005.3034 or later.
  5. 5. For Adobe Acrobat 2017: If version is 17.012.3022x or earlier, upgrade to version 17.012.3023 or later.
  6. 6. Download the appropriate fixed version from the official Adobe download page: https://get.adobe.com/reader/ (for Reader) or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/ (for Acrobat).
  7. 7. Close all Adobe applications before running the installer.
  8. 8. Install the updated version and restart the application.
Caveat Standard security update with no expected breaking changes; however, test critical workflows after upgrade as minor UI or feature changes may occur between major version families

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-2022-28251 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