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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-26406

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 23.001.20093 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 23.001.20093 (and earlier) and 20.005.30441 (and earlier) are affected by an Improper Access Control 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

Adobe Acrobat Reader contains an Improper Access Control vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The vulnerability is triggered when a victim opens a specially crafted malicious PDF file, requiring user interaction for exploitation.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to a version newer than 23.001.20093 (for 2023 versions) or 20.005.30441 (for 2020 versions). 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
AcrobatApplication
Affected:>= 20.001.3005, <= 20.005.30441
Acrobat DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, <= 23.001.20093
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 20.001.3005, <= 20.005.30441
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, <= 23.001.20093

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 for Adobe PDF reader executables: On Windows, look in Program Files for folders named 'Adobe Acrobat DC', 'Adobe Acrobat', or 'Adobe Acrobat Reader DC'. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader apps.
    Affected if No Adobe Acrobat or Reader installation found means not applicable to this CVE.
  2. Locate the main executable
    Identify the primary executable path - typically 'Acrobat.exe' for Adobe Acrobat or 'AcroRd32.exe' for Adobe Reader, found in subfolders like 'Acrobat\Acrobat' or 'Reader' under the Adobe installation directory.
    Affected if If the executable does not exist, the product is not installed.
  3. Retrieve the installed version number
    On Windows, right-click the executable, select Properties, then查看 'Details' tab for 'File version' or 'Product version'. Alternatively, run: wmic datafile where "name='C:\\Program Files\\Adobe\\Acrobat DC\\Acrobat\\Acrobat.exe'" get Version (adjust path as needed). On macOS, right-click the app, select 'Get Info' to view the version.
    Affected if Unable to determine version means vulnerability status is unknown.
  4. Compare version to affected ranges
    Match the installed version against these vulnerable ranges: Adobe Acrobat/Reader 2020 versions: 20.001.3005 through 20.005.30441 are vulnerable; Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC versions: 15.008.20082 through 23.001.20093 are vulnerable. Versions outside these ranges are not affected by this CVE.
    Affected if If installed version falls within 20.001.3005-20.005.30441 (2020 line) OR 15.008.20082-23.001.20093 (DC line), the environment is potentially affected.
  5. Verify the exploitation condition
    This vulnerability requires user interaction - the victim must open a specially crafted malicious PDF file. Check whether the user habitually opens PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources.
    Affected if If a vulnerable version is installed AND the user opens untrusted PDF files, the environment is at risk from this CVE.

The environment is affected by CVE-2023-26406 if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed with a version number within 20.001.3005 to 20.005.30441 (2020 versions) or 15.008.20082 to 23.001.20093 (DC versions), and the user opens PDF files from untrusted sources.

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 23.001.20093
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to a version newer than 23.001.20093 (for 2023 versions) or 20.005.30441 (for 2020 versions). Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Acrobat/Reader 20.005.30442+ or 23.001.20094+ (depending on your version track)

  1. 1. Determine your current Adobe Acrobat/Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
  2. 2. Identify which version track you are on: the 20.x track (2020 release) or the 23.x track (2023 release).
  3. 3. For users on version 20.005.30441 or earlier: Upgrade to version 20.005.30442 or later.
  4. 4. For users on version 23.001.20093 or earlier: Upgrade to version 23.001.20094 or later.
  5. 5. Download the updated version from the official Adobe website at https://get.adobe.com/reader or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/ (for Acrobat Pro).
  6. 6. Close all Adobe applications before running the installer.
  7. 7. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the upgrade.
  8. 8. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm the update was successful.
Caveat Standard minor version upgrades typically have minimal compatibility risks; however, review Adobe's release notes for any plugin or feature changes if using enterprise plugins or legacy features.

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2023-26406 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