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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-26423

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

Adobe Acrobat Reader contains a Use After Free (UAF) vulnerability where memory is accessed after being freed, potentially allowing an attacker to corrupt memory and achieve arbitrary code execution. Exploitation requires a victim to open a maliciously crafted PDF file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to a version newer than 23.001.20093 or 20.005.30441. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript execution in Reader as a defense-in-depth measure.

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 installed Adobe product
    Open Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Alternatively, check Add/Remove Programs or the application's properties. Note whether the product is Reader or Acrobat, and whether it is the 'Dc' (Document Cloud) variant.
    Affected if Any version of Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat is installed, including DC variants.
  2. Check installed version number
    In the About dialog, record the exact version number displayed (for example: 20.005.30441 or 23.001.20093). Note the full numeric version string including the three-part build number.
    Affected if A version number is visible in the About dialog or installed programs list.
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Match your installed version against these ranges: Adobe Acrobat (20.001.3005 through 20.005.30441), Adobe Acrobat Dc (15.008.20082 through 23.001.20093), Adobe Acrobat Reader (20.001.3005 through 20.005.30441), Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc (15.008.20082 through 23.001.20093). Determine if your version falls within or below these bounds.
    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 for your product type.
  4. Verify JavaScript execution status
    In Adobe Reader/Acrobat, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript. Check whether 'Enable Adobe JavaScript' is checked or unchecked.
    Affected if JavaScript is enabled, which increases the attack surface for this vulnerability since exploitation occurs through malicious PDF files that may use JavaScript.

You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader (including DC variants) is installed and its version falls within or below the affected ranges (20.005.30441 for classic versions, 23.001.20093 for DC versions).

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. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript execution in Reader as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Acrobat DC/Reader DC (2023 track): 23.006.30560 or later; Acrobat/Reader DC (2020 track): 20.006.30474 or later

  1. 1. Determine which Adobe Acrobat/Reader product line you have installed (Acrobat DC, Acrobat Reader DC, or classic Acrobat/Reader).
  2. 2. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader DC (2023 track): Upgrade to version 23.006.30560 or later.
  3. 3. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader DC (2020 track): Upgrade to version 20.006.30474 or later.
  4. 4. Download the updated version from the official Adobe Acrobat download page or use the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application to update.
  5. 5. Verify the installed version by opening Adobe Acrobat/Reader and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
  6. 6. Ensure the version number matches or exceeds the fixed release for your track.
Caveat Standard Adobe update; review release notes for any changes to features or compatibility

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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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-2023-26423 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