dbcve.org
Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-21606

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 22.003.20282 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 22.003.20282 (and earlier), 22.003.20281 (and earlier) and 20.005.30418 (and earlier) are 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 confidence

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader allows arbitrary code execution when a victim opens a maliciously crafted PDF file. The vulnerability writes data beyond allocated memory boundaries, enabling code execution in the current user's context.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to a version newer than 22.003.20282, 22.003.20281, or 20.005.30418. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files from unverified 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, <= 22.003.20282>= 15.008.20082, <= 22.003.20281
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, <= 22.003.20282>= 15.008.20082, <= 22.003.20281
AcrobatApplication
Affected:>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30418
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30418

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 the installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader product
    Open the application, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). The version number displays in the dialog window.
    Affected if Any version of Adobe Acrobat DC, Acrobat Reader DC, Acrobat, or Acrobat Reader is installed.
  2. Verify the exact version number
    Note the version string shown (for example, 22.003.20282 or 20.005.30418). Compare it against the affected ranges: 15.008.20082 through 22.003.20282 (or 22.003.20281) for DC products, and 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30418 for classic products.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the range 15.008.20082 to 22.003.20282, or within 20.001.30005 to 20.005.30418.
  3. Confirm the product edition type
    Determine whether the installed product is DC (Continuous) or classic/standalone. DC versions typically include 'DC' in the product name. Classic versions use the year-based naming (e.g., 2020, 2021).
    Affected if The product is either Acrobat/Reader DC Continuous or Acrobat/Reader classic within the version ranges.
  4. Check if the application processes untrusted PDF files
    Assess whether the system runs Adobe Acrobat or Reader to open PDF files from email attachments, web downloads, or external sources. This is the attack vector for CVE-2023-21606.
    Affected if The application is used to open PDF files from untrusted sources.

A user is affected if they have Adobe Acrobat or Reader installed with a version between 15.008.20082 and 22.003.20282 (for DC) or between 20.001.30005 and 20.005.30418 (for classic), and they open maliciously crafted 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 a release after 22.003.20282
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to a version newer than 22.003.20282, 22.003.20281, or 20.005.30418. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files from unverified sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and Adobe Acrobat DC version 22.003.20283 or later (for 2023 releases); version 20.005.30434 or later (for 2020 releases)

  1. 1. Close all instances of Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader
  2. 2. Navigate to the official Adobe download page at helpx.adobe.com or use the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application
  3. 3. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC or Adobe Acrobat DC
  4. 4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
  5. 5. Restart your computer after installation completes
  6. 6. Verify the installed version by opening Adobe Acrobat/Reader and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader/Acrobat
Caveat Upgrading to a newer major version may require reconfiguration of preferences and add-ons; enterprise deployments should test compatibility before broad rollout

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

Fix this in Acrobat Dc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2023-21606 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