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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-26424

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) memory corruption vulnerability that allows an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. UAF vulnerabilities occur when memory is freed but still referenced, potentially allowing an attacker to manipulate heap memory and redirect execution. Exploitation requires the victim to open a specially crafted malicious PDF file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version beyond 23.001.20093 and 20.005.30441. Until patched, exercise caution with untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript in Reader as an additional hardening 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 Acrobat Reader version
    Open Adobe Acrobat Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader. Alternatively, right-click the executable file (AcroRd32.exe or AcroRd64.exe) in the program files folder and select Properties to view the File Version.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 20.001.3005 to 20.005.30441 for standard Acrobat Reader, or 15.008.20082 to 23.001.20093 for Acrobat Reader DC.
  2. Determine if running Acrobat Reader DC variant
    Check the product name in the About dialog or verify if the installation folder contains 'AcrobatDC' in the path (typically C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\).
    Affected if Running Acrobat Reader DC version 15.008.20082 through 23.001.20093.
  3. Verify JavaScript for PDF is enabled (prerequisite for exploitation)
    In Adobe Acrobat Reader, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript and check if 'Enable Adobe JavaScript' is checked. Alternatively, check the registry key at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\JavaScript if accessible.
    Affected if JavaScript is enabled; this is required for the malicious PDF to trigger the UAF vulnerability.
  4. Check for recent PDF handling activity
    Review recent PDF files opened from untrusted sources. Examine the Windows Event Viewer or any available security logs for suspicious PDF files, especially those received via email or downloaded from untrusted websites.
    Affected if Any recently opened PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources have been processed by the affected Reader version.

You are affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Reader DC version matches the ranges 20.001.3005-20.005.30441 or 15.008.20082-23.001.20093 respectively, and the user has opened or may open untrusted PDF files with JavaScript enabled.

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 patched version beyond 23.001.20093 and 20.005.30441. Until patched, exercise caution with untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript in Reader as an additional hardening measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Acrobat/Reader DC Continuous: 23.001.20093 or later | Acrobat/Reader Classic 2020: 20.005.30449 or later

  1. 1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader on your system
  2. 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates (or use the Help menu)
  3. 3. Allow the application to check for available updates
  4. 4. If updates are available, review the update details to ensure it includes security patches
  5. 5. Download and install the recommended security update
  6. 6. Restart the application after the update completes
  7. 7. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release version
Caveat Standard update - minimal risk. Ensure compatibility with your PDF workflows and any plugins before deploying in production environments

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2023-26424 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