CVE-2022-42342
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 · uneditedAdobe Acrobat Reader versions 22.002.20212 (and earlier) and 20.005.30381 (and earlier) are affected by an out-of-bounds read 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 confidenceAdobe Acrobat Reader contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in versions 22.002.20212 and earlier (2022 track) and 20.005.30381 and earlier (2020 track). The vulnerability allows disclosure of sensitive memory contents, potentially leaking memory addresses that can be leveraged to bypass ASLR mitigations. Exploitation requires a victim to open a malicious PDF 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, < 22.003.20258>= 15.008.20082, < 22.003.20258>= 20.001.30005, < 20.005.30407>= 20.001.30005, < 20.005.30407CVSS 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 installedOn Windows, open Programs and Features or check for the presence of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader in the program list. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader.Affected if Either Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader (DC or classic) is present on the system.
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Determine the installed product versionOpen command prompt and run: For Reader DC: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\Reader\AcroRd32.exe" /version. For Acrobat DC: "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\Acrobat.exe" /version. Alternatively, launch the application and go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader or About Adobe Acrobat.Affected if The version cannot be determined or the product is not installed.
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Compare version against affected ranges for DC productsIf using Acrobat/Reader DC (2022 track), check if the installed version is >= 15.008.20082 and < 22.003.20258. Versions 22.002.20212 and earlier are in the affected 2022 track range.Affected if Installed version falls within >= 15.008.20082 and < 22.003.20258.
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Compare version against affected ranges for classic productsIf using Acrobat/Reader (2020 track), check if the installed version is >= 20.001.30005 and < 20.005.30407. Versions 20.005.30381 and earlier are in the affected 2020 track range.Affected if Installed version falls within >= 20.001.30005 and < 20.005.30407.
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Identify the product track (DC or classic)Look at the installation path or product name. DC products are named Acrobat DC or Acrobat Reader DC. Classic products are named Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader without the DC suffix.Affected if Unable to distinguish between DC and classic track product.
The system is affected if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installed and the version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges: DC products >= 15.008.20082 and < 22.003.20258, or classic products >= 20.001.30005 and < 20.005.30407.
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 · scoped20.005.3040722.003.20258
Apply the relevant Adobe security patch to update Acrobat Reader beyond the affected versions. Until patched, exercise caution with untrusted PDF files and consider using additional email/network perimeter controls to block malicious attachments.
Acrobat DC/Reader DC: 22.003.20258 (or later); Acrobat/Reader 2020: 20.005.30407 (or later)
- 1. Close all instances of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader
- 2. Navigate to the Adobe Acrobat download page at helpx.adobe.com
- 3. Download the appropriate fixed version for your product line: For DC (Continuous) track, download version 22.003.20258 or later; For 2020 Traditional track, download version 20.005.30407 or later
- 4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
- 5. Restart your computer if prompted
- 6. Verify the installed version by opening Acrobat/Reader and checking Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader
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-2022-42342 — 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-2022-42342 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