CVE-2023-21582
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 Digital Editions version 4.5.11.187303 (and earlier) is affected by an out-of-bounds write 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 confidenceAdobe Digital Editions versions 4.5.11.187303 and earlier contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution in the current user's context when a victim opens a malicious file. This is a memory corruption vulnerability requiring user interaction for exploitation.
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< 4.5.11.187658CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Adobe Digital Editions is installedCheck for the application in the Windows registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Digital Editions, or look for the executable at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Digital Editions\ADE.exeAffected if The application is present on the system
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Determine the installed version numberOpen Adobe Digital Editions and go to Help > About Adobe Digital Editions, or right-click ADE.exe in the install directory and select Properties > Details to view the FileVersionAffected if The version displayed is lower than 4.5.11.187658 or shows 4.5.11.187303 or earlier
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Verify the application is used to open document filesReview whether the system or users utilize Adobe Digital Editions to open EPUB, PDF, or other ebook formats from external or untrusted sourcesAffected if Users open ebook files from untrusted sources using this application
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Check for recent executable modificationsExamine the executable file integrity by comparing the ADE.exe file hash against known good values, or review security logs for suspicious DLL loading or process injectionAffected if Unexpected modifications or suspicious process behavior is detected around the Digital Editions executable
A system is affected if Adobe Digital Editions version 4.5.11.187303 or earlier is installed and users open untrusted ebook files with it.
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 · scoped4.5.11.187658
Organizations should ensure users do not open untrusted files and should deploy the patched version of Adobe Digital Editions once released by Adobe. Until a patch is available, restrict usage of Adobe Digital Editions to known, trusted document sources.
Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.11.187658 or later
- 1. Close any running instances of Adobe Digital Editions
- 2. Navigate to the official Adobe Digital Editions download page at helpx.adobe.com
- 3. Download the latest version of Adobe Digital Editions (version 4.5.11.187658 or later)
- 4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to install the update
- 5. After installation, verify the installed version by opening Adobe Digital Editions and checking Help > About Adobe Digital Editions
- 6. Ensure the version displayed is 4.5.11.187658 or higher
- 7. Warn users to avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF/epub files from unknown sources
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21582 — 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-2023-21582 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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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.
- 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