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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-26419

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 a Use After Free 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

This is a Use After Free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Use After Free flaws occur when memory is deallocated but still accessed, potentially allowing an attacker to control the freed memory and execute arbitrary code. Successful exploitation requires a victim to open a malicious PDF file, and code execution occurs in the context of the current user.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to a version newer than 23.001.20093 or 20.005.30441. Additionally, warn users not to open 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 the installed Adobe product
    Open the application and navigate to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader). Alternatively, check the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe for Acrobat or Reader entries.
    Affected if The installed product is Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader (including DC variants)
  2. Determine the installed version number
    In the About dialog, note the full version number displayed (for example, it will show a numeric version like 20.005.30441). On Windows, you can also right-click the executable in Program Files and view Properties > Details.
    Affected if The version falls within the affected ranges provided in the CVE
  3. Compare version against CVE affected ranges
    Check if the installed version matches any of these ranges: Adobe Acrobat/Reader 20.x between 20.001.3005 and 20.005.30441 inclusive; Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC 15.x through 23.x between 15.008.20082 and 23.001.20093 inclusive.
    Affected if The installed version is greater than or equal to the lower bound AND less than or equal to the upper bound of any affected range
  4. Confirm the PDF handling component is accessible
    Verify that the application can open and render PDF files by opening any PDF document. This confirms the attack surface is present.
    Affected if PDF files can be opened and processed by the application
  5. Check for recent unexpected behavior
    Review the application for crashes, unusual error messages, or unexpected dialogs when opening PDF files, particularly from untrusted sources.
    Affected if The application exhibits instability or crashes when processing PDF files, which could indicate exploitation attempts

If the installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version falls within the specified affected version ranges AND the application can open PDF files, the environment is potentially vulnerable to this Use After Free flaw.

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 or 20.005.30441. Additionally, warn users not to open untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 23.x (latest available, typically 23.x series beyond 23.001.20093) or 20.x (latest available, beyond 20.005.30441)

  1. 1. Close all instances of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  2. 2. Navigate to the Adobe Acrobat download page at helpx.adobe.com or use your existing Adobe installation's update mechanism.
  3. 3. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  4. 4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade.
  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 to confirm the version is beyond the affected ranges (newer than 20.005.30441 or 23.001.20093).
Caveat Standard upgrade may require re-entering serial numbers for purchased licenses; ensure license information is backed up before upgrade

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

Fix this in Acrobat 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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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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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-2023-26419 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