CVE-2022-28256
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 a use-after-free vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. 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 confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC allows disclosure of sensitive memory through a maliciously crafted PDF file. An attacker can exploit this to leak memory contents and potentially bypass ASLR mitigations. Exploitation requires user interaction (opening 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 productCheck for the presence of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader. On Windows, check Start Menu for the product name, or check the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Adobe\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\). Reader executables include AcroRd32.exe or AcroCEF.exe; full Acrobat uses Acrobat.exe.Affected if Neither Adobe Acrobat nor Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed (not affected).
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Determine installed version numberRight-click the executable (AcroRd32.exe, AcroCEF.exe, or Acrobat.exe) in the installation folder, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the File Version. Alternatively, open the application, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or Acrobat) to display the version number.Affected if Version cannot be determined (cannot assess).
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Compare version against affected rangesMatch your installed version to the following ranges: For DC versions (15.x through 22.x): any version from 15.008.20082 through 22.001.20085 is affected. For 2017 versions: 17.011.30059 through 17.012.30205 is affected. For 2020 versions: 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30314 (Acrobat) or 20.005.30311 (Reader) is affected.Affected if Installed version falls within any of the listed affected ranges.
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Confirm PDF handling is enabledVerify the product is configured to open PDF files by default. This is the default configuration for both Acrobat and Acrobat Reader. No additional configuration change is needed for the vulnerability to apply.Affected if PDF file handling is enabled (default state, which is the vulnerable condition).
A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader is installed with a version number matching the ranges 15.008.20082-22.001.20085 (DC), 17.011.30059-17.012.30205 (2017), or 20.001.30005-20.005.30314/20.005.30311 (2020).
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. For enterprise environments, deploy the update via patch management systems and verify completion across all endpoints.
Acrobat DC/Reader DC: 22.001.2012+ | Acrobat/Reader 2020: 20.005.3034+ | Acrobat/Reader 2017: 17.012.3023+
- Identify the currently installed Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version from Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader
- For Acrobat DC/Acrobat Reader DC (Continuous track): Upgrade to version 22.001.2012 or later
- For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 2020 (Classic 2020 track): Upgrade to version 20.005.3034 or later
- For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 2017 (Classic 2017 track): Upgrade to version 17.012.3023 or later
- Download the updated version from the official Adobe website (helpx.adobe.com) or use the Adobe Acrobat update checker within the application
- Restart the application after installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-28256 — 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-2022-28256 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