CVE-2023-38230
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 lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass mitigations such as ASLR. 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 confidenceThis is a Use-After-Free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader that allows disclosure of sensitive memory contents. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious PDF file that, when opened by a victim, triggers the use-after-free condition. The vulnerability can also be leveraged to bypass ASLR security mitigations, making other exploits more reliable.
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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 the Adobe product installedOpen the application and check the title bar or go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). The product name indicates whether you have the free Reader or the full Acrobat application.Affected if Product is Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat (both affected)
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Determine the update trackIn the application, go to Help > Check for Updates or navigate to Edit > Preferences > Updater. The track type (Continuous or Classic 2020) is shown in the update dialog or preferences section.Affected if Any track (Continuous or Classic 2020)
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Find the installed version numberGo to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Note the full version number displayed (for Continuous track it typically shows as 22.x.x.xxxxx or 23.x.x.xxxxx; for Classic 2020 it shows as 20.x.x.xxxxx).Affected if Any version needs to be verified against affected ranges
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Check Continuous track version against affected rangeCompare your installed version to the affected range: >= 15.008.20082 and < 23.003.20269. For versions starting with 22 or 23, verify the specific build number is below 23.003.20269.Affected if Continuous track version >= 15.008.20082 and < 23.003.20269
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Check Classic 2020 track version against affected rangeCompare your installed version to the affected ranges: >= 20.001.30005 and < 20.005.30516, or >= 20.001.30005 and <= 20.005.30516.10516. Note that versions between 20.005.30514 and 20.005.30515 are also affected.Affected if Classic 2020 track version >= 20.001.30005 and < 20.005.30516 (or the secondary range)
The environment is affected if the installed Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat version and track match any of the version ranges listed in the affected products, meaning the specific version falls within the vulnerable bounds and has not been patched.
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 version (after 23.003.20244 for Continuous track and after 20.005.30467 for Classic 2020 track). Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files.
Acrobat DC/Reader DC: 23.003.20269 or later; Acrobat/Reader 20.x: 20.005.30516.10516 or later
- Identify the installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version via Help > About (or About Adobe Acrobat Reader)
- For Acrobat DC/Acrobat Reader DC: Upgrade to version 23.003.20269 or later
- For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader version 20.x: Upgrade to version 20.005.30516.10516 or later
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version again under Help > About
- Ensure user interaction is minimized—advise users not to open untrusted PDF files until patched
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,864.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38230 — 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-2023-38230 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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