CVE-2024-41830
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 20.005.30636, 24.002.20965, 24.002.20964, 24.001.30123 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, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution. The attack requires victim interaction - opening a specially crafted malicious PDF file. Successful exploitation executes code in the context of the current user.
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>= 20.001.30005, < 20.005.30655>= 24.001.20604, < 24.001.30159>= 15.008.20082, < 24.002.21005>= 20.001.3005, < 20.005.30655>= 15.008.20082, < 24.002.21005CVSS 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 Adobe Acrobat Reader installationCheck for Adobe Acrobat Reader installation by locating the application in Program Files (typically C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader DC\) or via the Windows installed programs listAffected if Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed on the system
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Determine installed Adobe Reader versionOpen Adobe Acrobat Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader, or right-click the executable and view Properties > Details to see the version numberAffected if The displayed version falls within any of these vulnerable ranges: 20.001.3005 to 20.005.30655 (inclusive of lower bound, exclusive of upper), 15.008.20082 to 24.002.21005 (inclusive of lower bound, exclusive of upper), or versions 24.001.20604 to 24.001.30159 for standard Acrobat
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Confirm Reader Dc variant version if applicableIf using the Desktop Component version (Reader DC), verify the version through the same About dialog or by checking the executable version property in the ReaderDC folderAffected if The version matches the Reader Dc vulnerable ranges: >= 15.008.20082 and < 24.002.21005
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Check if product is actively usedReview whether users routinely open PDF files with Adobe Acrobat Reader, as exploitation requires opening a maliciously crafted PDF fileAffected if Adobe Acrobat Reader is the default or commonly used PDF viewer and users open PDF files from untrusted sources
The environment is affected if Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is installed with a version matching the vulnerable ranges and users open PDF files with the application.
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 · scoped20.005.3065524.001.3015924.002.21005
Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files, and disable JavaScript in Acrobat Reader settings as a defense-in-depth measure.
Adobe Acrobat/Reader 20.005.30655 or later for version 20.x branches; Adobe Acrobat/Reader 24.001.30159 or later for version 24.x branches; Adobe Acrobat Dc/Reader Dc 24.002.21005 or later for Continuous track
- 1. Ensure Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is closed before updating
- 2. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader from the official Adobe website (get.adobe.com/reader or get.adobe.com/acrobat)
- 3. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade
- 4. After installation, verify the version by going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader to confirm the installed version is >= 20.005.30655 for version 20.x or >= 24.001.30159 for version 24.x (or >= 24.002.21005 for Acrobat Dc/Acrobat Reader Dc)
- 5. Instruct users to avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources as a temporary mitigation until the patch is applied
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-41830 — 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-2024-41830 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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