dbcve.org
Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2022-42339

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-10-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.005.30407 / 22.003.20258 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
Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 22.002.20212 (and earlier) and 20.005.30381 (and earlier) are affected by a Stack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution 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

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 22.002.20212 and earlier, and 20.005.30381 and earlier. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user, but requires the victim to open a malicious PDF file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest version (newer than 22.002.20212 or 20.005.30381) and 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, < 22.003.20258
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, < 22.003.20258
AcrobatApplication
Affected:>= 20.001.30005, < 20.005.30407
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 20.001.30005, < 20.005.30407

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
    Check the installed programs on Windows (Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run `Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion` in PowerShell), or on macOS check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader applications
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat Dc, Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader is present on the system
  2. Determine the exact installed version
    Right-click the Adobe application in the installed programs list to view the version, or open the application and go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader to display the full version number (e.g., 22.002.20212 or 20.005.30381)
    Affected if The displayed version matches one of the affected product lines and falls within the vulnerable ranges
  3. Compare against affected version ranges
    For Adobe Acrobat Dc or Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc: check if version is >= 15.008.20082 and < 22.003.20258. For Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader: check if version is >= 20.001.30005 and < 20.005.30407
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges, indicating the system is vulnerable to CVE-2022-42339
  4. Verify the PDF handling component is in use
    The vulnerability is triggered when opening a malicious PDF file. Check if the user frequently opens PDF files from untrusted sources or if Adobe Acrobat/Reader is set as the default PDF handler
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is the default PDF viewer and is used to open PDF files from various sources, increasing the likelihood of exploitation

A system is affected if Adobe Acrobat Dc, Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed with a version between the minimum and maximum affected numbers listed in the CVE, and the user opens 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 20.005.30407 / 22.003.20258 or later
Fixed in 20.005.3040722.003.20258
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest version (newer than 22.002.20212 or 20.005.30381) and avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC: upgrade to 22.003.20258 or later; Adobe Acrobat/Reader (2020): upgrade to 20.005.30407 or later

  1. 1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat on your system
  2. 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates (or use the Help menu)
  3. 3. Allow the application to check for available updates
  4. 4. If updates are available, review the update details to confirm version 22.003.20258 or later (for DC products) or 20.005.30407 or later (for standard Acrobat/Reader)
  5. 5. Download and install the recommended update
  6. 6. Restart the application after installation
  7. 7. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the minimum fixed version (Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader)
Caveat Adobe updates typically include security fixes and may include minor feature changes; ensure compatibility with existing workflows before deploying enterprise-wide

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

Fix this in Acrobat Dc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-42339 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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