CVE-2023-38228
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 versions 23.003.20244 and earlier, and 20.005.30467 and earlier contain a Use After Free vulnerability. This memory corruption flaw allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user by exploiting a dangling pointer after memory has been freed. Successful exploitation requires the victim to open a maliciously crafted PDF file.
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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Check Adobe Acrobat/Reader version on WindowsOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\DC\InstallPath, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat*\DC\InstallPath' in PowerShell to find the install path, then check the version in the application's properties or use: wmic product where "name like 'Adobe Acrobat%'" get versionAffected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 15.008.20082 to 23.003.20244, 20.001.30005 to 20.005.30467, or any version >= 20.001.30005 but < 20.005.30514.10514, or any version >= 20.001.30005 but <= 20.005.30516.10516 (for standard Acrobat/Reader products)
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Check Adobe Acrobat/Reader version on macOSOpen Terminal and run: defaults read /Applications/Adobe\ Acrobat\ DC/Adobe\ Acrobat\ DC.app/Contents/Info CFBundleVersion, or right-click the Adobe Acrobat/Reader app in /Applications, select Get Info, and note the Version numberAffected if The installed version matches the Windows version ranges listed above (same version numbering applies across platforms)
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Confirm the specific product variantIdentify whether the installed product is Adobe Acrobat Dc, Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc, Adobe Acrobat, or Adobe Acrobat Reader by checking the product name in the About dialog (Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader) or the registry/app infoAffected if The product is any variant of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader with a version that falls within the affected ranges (all variants are affected)
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Verify the application handles PDF filesCheck if Adobe Acrobat/Reader is set as the default PDF handler or commonly used to open PDF files. On Windows: go to Settings > Apps > Default apps > Choose default apps by file type and verify .pdf association. On Mac: right-click any PDF and check Open With, or run: defaults read com.apple.LaunchServices | grep -i acrobatAffected if Adobe Acrobat/Reader is the default PDF viewer or frequently used to open PDFs, as successful exploitation requires opening a maliciously crafted PDF file
A user is affected if they have any variant of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader installed with a version between 15.008.20082 and 23.003.20244 (for DC/Reader DC), or between 20.001.30005 and 20.005.30467/20.005.30514.10514 (for standard Acrobat/Reader), and they 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. Additionally, implement user awareness training regarding opening unexpected PDF attachments and consider email/web filtering to block suspicious PDF files.
Acrobat DC/Reader DC: 23.003.20269 or later | Classic 2020: 20.005.30516 or later
- 1. Verify the current Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
- 2. For Continuous track users (2023 release): Upgrade to version 23.003.20269 or later.
- 3. For Classic 2020 track users: Upgrade to version 20.005.30516 or later.
- 4. Download the appropriate update from the official Adobe security bulletin at helpx.adobe.com or use the application's built-in update checker (Help > Check for Updates).
- 5. Install the update and restart the application.
- 6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release numbers after update completion.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38228 — 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-2023-38228 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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