CVE-2023-38224
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 · uneditedAdobe Acrobat Reader versions 23.003.20244 (and earlier) and 20.005.30467 (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 confidenceAdobe Acrobat Reader contains a Use After Free vulnerability in versions 23.003.20244 and earlier (2023 track) and 20.005.30467 and earlier (2020 track). The flaw allows arbitrary code execution when a victim opens a specially crafted malicious PDF file, exploiting freed memory that is still referenced.
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>= 15.008.20082, < 23.003.20269>= 15.008.20082, < 23.003.20269>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30516.10516>= 20.001.30005, < 20.005.30514.10514>= 20.001.30005, < 20.005.30516.10516>= 20.001.30005, < 20.005.30514.10514CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Adobe productOpen Adobe Acrobat/Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Alternatively, check Windows Programs and Features or macOS Applications folder for the exact product name and version number.Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat Dc, Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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Confirm the product versionNote the full version number displayed (for example, 23.001.20093 or 20.005.30467). Ensure you capture the complete version string including any build numbers.Affected if A version is displayed but you cannot confirm it is outside the affected ranges.
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Compare against 2023 track affected versionsCheck if the installed version is 23.003.20244 or earlier, or falls within the range >= 15.008.20082 and < 23.003.20269. The patched version is 23.003.20269 or later.Affected if Version is 23.003.20269 or later indicates the patch is applied. Any version before 23.003.20269 (or between 15.008.20082 and 23.003.20244) is vulnerable.
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Compare against 2020 track affected versionsCheck if the installed version is 20.005.30467 or earlier, or falls within >= 20.001.30005 and < 20.005.30516.10516 (or < 20.005.30514.10514 depending on update channel).Affected if Version is 20.005.30516.10516 or later, or 20.005.30514.10514 or later, indicates the patch is applied. Any version before these is vulnerable.
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Assess user interaction riskDetermine whether users in the environment commonly open PDF files from untrusted or external sources, as the vulnerability is triggered only when a victim opens a specially crafted malicious PDF.Affected if Users routinely open PDF attachments or files from untrusted sources without prior validation.
The environment is affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat is installed with a version number that falls within the vulnerable ranges (2023 track: before 23.003.20269, or 2020 track: before 20.005.30516.10516/20.005.30514.10514) and users may open untrusted PDF files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped20.005.30514.1051420.005.30516.1051623.003.20269
Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version beyond 23.003.20244 and 20.005.30467. Additionally, enforce user awareness to avoid opening untrusted PDF files and consider application sandboxing or enterprise patch management to automate updates.
Acrobat DC (Continuous): 23.003.20269 or later | Acrobat Classic 2020: 20.005.30517 or later
- 1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat application
- 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates (or use the Help menu)
- 3. Allow the application to check for available updates
- 4. If updates are available, download and install version 23.003.20269 or later for Continuous track
- 5. Alternatively, download the latest version from the official Adobe website: https://get.adobe.com/reader/ (for Reader) or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/ (for Acrobat)
- 6. Restart the application after installation
- 7. Verify the installed version by going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader/Acrobat
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38224 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-38224 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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