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Acrobat DcApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-21607

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 Improper Input Validation 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 · moderate confidence

Improper input validation vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a maliciously crafted PDF file. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of data within PDF documents, enabling an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user's session.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest version beyond 22.003.20282/22.003.20281/20.005.30418. Users should avoid opening untrusted PDF files until the update is applied.

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. Verify Adobe Acrobat product is installed
    Check for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader installation on the system. On Windows, check Program Files or Program Files (x86) for Adobe folders, or use the Add/Remove Programs list. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat.
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed
  2. Determine installed product version
    Open Adobe Acrobat/Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Alternatively, right-click the executable file and select Properties > Details to view the version number.
    Affected if Version number is visible in the About dialog or file properties
  3. Compare version against affected ranges for Acrobat/Reader DC
    Compare the installed version to the following vulnerable ranges: 15.008.20082 through 22.003.20282, or 15.008.20082 through 22.003.20281. Note the version format may appear as 22.x.xxxxx or similar.
    Affected if Installed version falls within 15.008.20082 <= version <= 22.003.20282 or 15.008.20082 <= version <= 22.003.20281
  4. Compare version against affected ranges for Acrobat/Reader 2020
    Compare the installed version to the following vulnerable range: 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30418. The version typically appears as 20.x.xxxxx.
    Affected if Installed version falls within 20.001.30005 <= version <= 20.005.30418
  5. Confirm the vulnerability trigger condition
    This vulnerability requires a user to open a maliciously crafted PDF file. The flaw exists in PDF document parsing regardless of specific features being enabled.
    Affected if User opens untrusted PDF files with a vulnerable version installed

The system is affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat is installed with a version number within 15.008.20082 to 22.003.20282 (DC variants) or 20.001.30005 to 20.005.30418 (2020 variants).

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 the latest version beyond 22.003.20282/22.003.20281/20.005.30418. Users should avoid opening untrusted PDF files until the update is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC version 22.004 or later; Adobe Acrobat/Reader 2020 version 20.005.30419 or later

  1. 1. Verify current Adobe Acrobat/Acrobat Reader version by navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader
  2. 2. For Windows: Go to Help > Check for Updates and follow prompts to install the latest version
  3. 3. For macOS: Go to Adobe Acrobat/Reader > Check for Updates or use the Creative Cloud desktop app
  4. 4. Alternatively, download the latest version directly from adobe.com/downloads
  5. 5. Restart the application after update completes
  6. 6. Verify the installed version is above 22.003.20282 or 20.005.30418 (depending on your product line)
Caveat Standard security update with no expected breaking changes; ensure you back up any custom preferences or plugins before upgrading

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2023-21607 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