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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-39420

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.005.30655 / 24.001.30159 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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 · unedited
Acrobat Reader versions 20.005.30636, 24.002.21005, 24.001.30159, 20.005.30655, 24.002.20965, 24.002.20964, 24.001.30123, 24.003.20054 and earlier are affected by a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution. This vulnerability arises when the timing of actions changes the state of a resource between the checking of a condition and the use of the resource, allowing an attacker to manipulate the resource in a harmful way. 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 · moderate confidence

Adobe Acrobat Reader contains a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability that allows an attacker to manipulate resource state between the time a condition is checked and when the resource is used. This timing manipulation can enable arbitrary code execution on the affected system. Successful exploitation requires a victim to open a malicious PDF file.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version once released by Adobe, and avoid opening PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources until the update is applied.

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
AcrobatApplication
Affected:>= 20.001.30005, < 20.005.30655>= 24.001.20604, < 24.001.30159
Acrobat DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, < 24.002.21005
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 20.001.3005, < 20.005.30655
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, < 24.002.21005

CVSS 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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed Adobe product
    Open Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). The product name and version number will be displayed in the About dialog.
    Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc, or Adobe Acrobat Dc.
  2. Record the exact version number
    Note the full version number shown in the About dialog. It typically appears as a four-part number (e.g., 20.001.3005 or 24.001.20604).
    Affected if A version number is displayed.
  3. Check if version is in the first affected range
    For versions starting with 20.x, compare your version against >= 20.001.30005 (or 20.001.3005) and < 20.005.30655. If your version is 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30654, you are affected.
    Affected if Your version starts with 20.x and falls between 20.001.30005 (or 20.001.3005) and 20.005.30654 inclusive.
  4. Check if version is in the second affected range
    For versions starting with 24.x, compare your version against >= 24.001.20604 and < 24.001.30159. If your version is 24.001.20604 through 24.001.30158, you are affected.
    Affected if Your version starts with 24.x and falls between 24.001.20604 and 24.001.30158 inclusive.
  5. Check if version is in the Acrobat Dc / Reader Dc affected range
    For Dc variants, compare your version against >= 15.008.20082 and < 24.002.21005. If your version falls within this range, you are affected.
    Affected if Your product is Acrobat Dc or Reader Dc, and your version is between 15.008.20082 and 24.002.21004 inclusive.
  6. Confirm whether the Reader Dc variant is Classic or Continuous
    In Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc, check Help > About. The version string may indicate 'Classic' or 'Continuous' which are different release tracks. Compare the full version number against the affected ranges provided.
    Affected if You are using Reader Dc (either Classic or Continuous) and your version is within the affected range.

You are affected if the installed product is Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Acrobat Dc, or Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc, and the installed version falls within any of the listed vulnerable ranges.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 20.005.30655 / 24.001.30159 / 24.002.21005 or later
Fixed in 20.005.3065524.001.3015924.002.21005
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version once released by Adobe, and avoid opening PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources until the update is applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 20.005.30655, 24.001.30159, or 24.002.21005 (depending on product line)

  1. 1. Determine the installed Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version by opening the application, then going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or About Adobe Reader)
  2. 2. Identify the product line (Acrobat Standard, Acrobat Pro, Acrobat Reader, Acrobat DC, or Acrobat Reader DC)
  3. 3. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader versions 20.x: upgrade to version 20.005.30655 or later
  4. 4. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader versions 24.001.x: upgrade to version 24.001.30159 or later
  5. 5. For Acrobat DC/Acrobat Reader DC versions 15.x through 24.x: upgrade to version 24.002.21005 or later
  6. 6. Download the appropriate update from the official Adobe website (helpx.adobe.com) or use the application's built-in update mechanism (Help > Check for Updates)
  7. 7. Close all Adobe applications before installing the update
  8. 8. Install the downloaded update and restart the application
Caveat Minor: Standard Adobe update; ensure compatibility with other software that integrates with Adobe products

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,620
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,192.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-39420 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data