CVE-2022-28259
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 in its file parsing logic. When parsing a specially crafted malicious PDF or other supported file type, the application reads memory beyond allocated buffer boundaries. This information disclosure could potentially leak sensitive memory contents, enabling an attacker to defeat ASLR as part of a more complex exploit chain.
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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Confirm Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installedCheck for installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\, or look for Adobe Acrobat/Reader in the Add/Remove Programs list on Windows.Affected if The software is not present on the system.
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Determine the installed product versionOpen Adobe Acrobat or Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC to view the exact version number displayed in the dialog window.Affected if The version displayed falls within the affected ranges: 15.008.20082 to 22.001.20085 for DC versions; 17.011.30059 to 17.012.30205, 20.001.30005 to 20.005.30314, or 20.001.30005 to 20.005.30311 for Classic versions.
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Verify the file parsing component is presentConfirm the core PDF parsing modules exist by checking for the presence of AcroRd32.exe or Acrobat.exe in the installation folder, which handle PDF document processing.Affected if The executable files handling PDF parsing are present and the version is within affected ranges.
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Check for recent security updatesIn Adobe Acrobat/Reader, go to Help > Check for Updates to see if any updates have been applied, or check the Windows installed updates list for Adobe security patches.Affected if No security updates have been installed and the version remains within the vulnerable range.
A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed with a version number matching the affected ranges and the application is used to open PDF or supported file types.
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 · scopedApply the available security updates from Adobe to patch the vulnerable Acrobat Reader versions. Until patched, advise users against opening untrusted files and consider deploying additional email gateway scanning for malicious attachments.
Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC: 22.001.2012 or later; 20.005.3034 or later; Classic Acrobat 17.x: 17.012.30223 or later; Classic Acrobat 20.x: 20.005.30315 or later
- 1. Identify the currently installed Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
- 2. Determine which product family (Acrobat DC, Acrobat Reader DC, or Classic Acrobat) matches your current installation.
- 3. For Acrobat DC/Acrobat Reader DC: Upgrade to version 22.001.2012 or later (for version 15.x baseline installations) or 20.005.3034 or later.
- 4. For Classic Acrobat (version 17.x): Upgrade to version 17.012.30223 or later.
- 5. For Classic Acrobat (version 20.x): Upgrade to version 20.005.30315 or later.
- 6. Download the appropriate updated version from the official Adobe website (helpx.adobe.com) or use your organization's software distribution channel.
- 7. Close all Adobe applications before running the installer.
- 8. Install the updated version and verify the new version number matches a fixed release.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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-2022-28259 — 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-2022-28259 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