dbcve.org
AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-39425

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 →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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, 24.002.20965, 24.002.20964, 24.001.30123 and earlier are affected by a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition vulnerability that could lead to privilege escalation. Exploitation of this issue require local low-privilege access to the affected system and attack complexity is high.

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 confidence

This is a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader. A local low-privilege attacker can exploit the time gap between a security check and resource use to escalate privileges to higher system rights. The vulnerability exists in multiple older versions of Acrobat Reader.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied security update to Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version. Prioritize systems where low-privilege users have local access and review the high attack complexity requirements in your environment.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/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. Verify Adobe Acrobat Reader installation
    Check for Adobe Acrobat Reader installation: On Windows, look in Program Files for 'Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader' folder or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{AC76BA86-7-7-xxxx-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX}. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe Acrobat Reader.app.
    Affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed version number
    On Windows: Right-click the Adobe Acrobat Reader executable (AcroRd32.exe or Acrofx.exe) in Program Files, select Properties, and view the Version tab. Alternatively, run 'wmic product where "name like 'Adobe Acrobat Reader%'" get version, name' in Command Prompt. On macOS: Right-click Adobe Acrobat Reader.app, select Get Info, and view the Version field.
    Affected if A version number is retrieved that falls within the affected ranges
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Match your installed version to the following vulnerable ranges: Acrobat Reader >= 20.001.3005 but < 20.005.30655; Acrobat Reader Dc >= 15.008.20082 but < 24.002.21005. Note that versions 20.001.30005 (with trailing 05) and 20.001.3005 (without trailing 5) are both affected.
    Affected if Installed version falls within any of the listed vulnerable version ranges

The system is affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Reader Dc is installed with a version number matching >= 20.001.30005 and < 20.005.30655, or >= 24.001.20604 and < 24.001.30159 for Acrobat/Reader, or >= 15.008.20082 and < 24.002.21005 for Acrobat Dc/Reader Dc variants.

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

Apply the vendor-supplied security update to Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version. Prioritize systems where low-privilege users have local access and review the high attack complexity requirements in your environment.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 20.005.30655 or later (20.x branch); 24.001.30159 or later (24.x branch for Classic); or 24.002.21005 or later (24.x branch for Continuous)

  1. 1. Identify the exact Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version currently installed by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
  2. 2. Based on the affected version range, determine the appropriate target version: For versions 20.x, upgrade to 20.005.30655 or later; For versions 24.x, upgrade to 24.001.30159 or later (or 24.002.21005 for Acrobat Dc/Reader Dc).
  3. 3. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader from the official Adobe website (get.adobe.com/reader or adobe.com).
  4. 4. Close all running instances of Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.
  5. 5. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade.
  6. 6. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm the version number meets the minimum fixed version criteria.
Caveat Standard Adobe update - minimal risk; ensure backup of important PDF files and settings before upgrading

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-39425 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-39425 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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