CVE-2024-30303
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 · uneditedAcrobat Reader versions 20.005.30539, 23.008.20470 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 where memory is accessed after being freed, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code. Exploitation requires the victim to open a specially crafted malicious PDF file, giving the attacker code execution within the current user's context.
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>= 20.001.30002, < 20.005.30574>= 15.007.20033, < 23.008.20533>= 20.001.30002, < 20.005.30574>= 15.007.20033, < 23.008.20533CVSS 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 Acrobat or Reader productOpen Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). The version number will be displayed in the dialog box.Affected if The product name shown is Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader (or Reader Dc/Acrobat Dc)
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Check the exact version numberNote the full version number displayed (for example: 20.005.30574 or 23.008.20533). On Windows, you can also right-click the executable (AcroRd32.exe or AcroTray.exe) in Program Files, select Properties, and view the File version on the Details tab.Affected if A version number is visible showing the installed build
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Compare against affected version ranges for standard Adobe Acrobat/ReaderCompare your installed version to these affected ranges: for versions 20.x, affected if >= 20.001.30002 and < 20.005.30574; for versions 15.x-23.x, affected if >= 15.007.20033 and < 23.008.20533.Affected if Your installed version falls within any of these ranges
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Check for Adobe Acrobat Dc or Reader Dc variantsIf using the Desktop Classic version, the product will be named Adobe Acrobat Dc or Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc. Check the version the same way via Help > About. These use the same version numbering as the standard versions.Affected if The product is Acrobat Dc or Reader Dc and the version falls within the affected ranges
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Verify the version falls below the fixed releasesConfirm your version is below 20.005.30574 (for 20.x releases) or below 23.008.20533 (for 15.x-23.x releases). Versions 20.005.30574 and above, or 23.008.20533 and above, are NOT affected.Affected if The installed version is less than 20.005.30574 (for 20.x) OR less than 23.008.20533 (for 15.x-23.x)
You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader (including Dc variants) is installed and the version number falls within the ranges >= 20.001.30002 but < 20.005.30574, or >= 15.007.20033 but < 23.008.20533.
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 · scoped20.005.3057423.008.20533
Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest version beyond 23.008.20470. Users should not open untrusted PDF files and organizations should deploy patches via their patch management systems.
Acrobat/Acrobat Reader continuous: 20.005.30574+ | Acrobat DC/Acrobat Reader DC classic: 23.008.20533+
- Identify which Adobe product and track you are using (Acrobat/Acrobat Reader continuous vs Acrobat DC/Acrobat Reader DC classic)
- For continuous track versions (20.x): Upgrade to version 20.005.30574 or later
- For classic DC track versions (15.x-23.x): Upgrade to version 23.008.20533 or later
- Download the update from the official Adobe support site at helpx.adobe.com
- Ensure the update is applied while Adobe Acrobat or Reader is closed
- Verify the installed version after updating to confirm the fix is in place
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-30303 — 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-2024-30303 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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