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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-26408

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 · moderate confidence

Adobe Acrobat Reader contains an Improper Access Control vulnerability in versions 23.001.20093 and earlier, and 20.005.30441 and earlier, that allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when a victim opens a maliciously crafted PDF file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest version beyond 23.001.20093 or 20.005.30441 to remediate this vulnerability.

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. Verify Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed
    Check for Adobe Acrobat Reader in typical installation paths such as C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader DC\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader DC\, or use Control Panel > Programs and Features to list installed software.
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader appears in installed programs
  2. Obtain the installed version number
    Right-click the Acrobat Reader executable (e.g., AcroRd32.exe or AcroRd64.exe) in the installation folder, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Product Version. Alternatively, open Acrobat Reader and navigate to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader.
    Affected if Unable to determine version indicates potential incomplete installation or non-Adobe PDF viewer in use
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Match the installed version to the following vulnerable ranges: 20.001.3005 through 20.005.30441 (Classic version), or 15.008.20082 through 23.001.20093 (DC version). Any version within these inclusive ranges is affected.
    Affected if Installed version falls within 20.001.3005-20.005.30441 or 15.008.20082-23.001.20093
  4. Confirm Adobe is the default PDF handler
    Right-click any PDF file, select Properties, and verify the 'Opens with' field shows Adobe Acrobat Reader. Alternatively, go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps and check the PDF file type association.
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader is set as the default application for opening PDF files

A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader (Classic or DC version) is installed with a version number within the ranges 20.001.3005-20.005.30441 or 15.008.20082-23.001.20093 and is used to open 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 23.001.20093
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest version beyond 23.001.20093 or 20.005.30441 to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat Reader 23.002.20093 (Continuous) or 20.005.30449 (Classic)

  1. 1. Determine which Adobe Acrobat/Acrobat Reader track you are using (Continuous or Classic) by opening Adobe Acrobat/Reader and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader. Note the version number.
  2. 2. For Continuous track users: If your version is 23.001.20093 or earlier, upgrade to version 23.002.20093 or later.
  3. 3. For Classic track users: If your version is 20.005.30441 or earlier, upgrade to version 20.005.30449 or later.
  4. 4. Download the latest version from the official Adobe Acrobat download page at https://get.adobe.com/reader/ or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/
  5. 5. Close all Adobe Acrobat/Reader instances before running the installer.
  6. 6. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade.
  7. 7. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm the fix is applied.
Caveat Standard upgrade; ensure compatibility with your existing PDF workflows and any third-party plugins

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.

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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-2023-26408 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