CVE-2023-44336
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 23.006.20360 (and earlier) and 20.005.30524 (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 (UAF) vulnerability where memory is accessed after being freed, potentially allowing an attacker to manipulate memory and achieve arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability is triggered when a victim opens a specially crafted malicious 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, < 23.006.20380>= 15.008.20082, < 23.006.20380>= 20.001.30005, <= 20.005.30539>= 20.001.30005, < 20.005.30539CVSS 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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Verify Adobe Acrobat installationOn Windows, open Control Panel > Programs and Features and look for 'Adobe Acrobat' or 'Adobe Acrobat Reader'. On Mac, open Finder > Applications and check for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the system
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Determine installed version on WindowsOpen Registry Editor (regedit) and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\. Look for the DisplayVersion value under the Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader registry key.Affected if The version displayed cannot be compared to the affected ranges (see step 3)
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Determine installed version via applicationLaunch Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Note the exact version number shown.Affected if The version shown falls within these ranges: 15.008.20082 through 23.006.20380 (continuous release), OR 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30539 (classic track)
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Confirm vulnerability trigger conditionThe vulnerability is triggered when opening a specially crafted malicious PDF file. This attack vector exists in any default installation of Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat that has PDF opening capability enabled.Affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat is installed with PDF handling functionality and the version falls within the affected ranges from step 3
A user is affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc or Adobe Acrobat Dc version is 15.008.20082 or higher but below 23.006.20380, OR if Adobe Acrobat/Reader classic version is 20.001.30005 or higher but below 20.005.30539.
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 · scoped20.005.3053923.006.20380
Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest version (23.006.20380 or later for 23.x, 20.005.30539 or later for 20.x). Implement patch management processes and warn users against opening PDF files from untrusted sources.
Acrobat Dc/Reader Dc: version 23.006.20380 or later; Acrobat/Acrobat Reader (classic): version 20.005.30540 or later
- 1. Verify 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 Acrobat Dc/Acrobat Reader Dc users: Download and install version 23.006.20380 or later from the official Adobe website (get.adobe.com/reader or get.adobe.com/acrobat).
- 3. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader (classic) users: Download and install version 20.005.30540 or later from the official Adobe website.
- 4. After installation, restart the application and verify the version under Help > About to confirm the patch was applied.
- 5. Ensure auto-update is enabled or check for updates regularly via Help > Check for Updates to receive future security patches.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-44336 — 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-2023-44336 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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