CVE-2024-41831
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, allowing an attacker to manipulate heap layout and achieve arbitrary code execution. Exploitation requires a victim to open a specially crafted malicious PDF file, with the code executing in the context of the current user's privileges.
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 installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version on WindowsOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat\ (or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader\DC\Install). Check the 'Version' or 'ProductVersion' value in the version subfolder (e.g., 20, 24, or 15).Affected if The version displayed matches one of the affected product lines and falls within the vulnerable ranges: Acrobat/Reader 20.x versions from 20.001.30005 up to 20.005.30654; Acrobat/Reader 24.x versions from 24.001.20604 up to 24.001.30158; Acrobat/Reader DC 15.x/24.x versions from 15.008.20082 up to 2
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Verify version via executable file propertiesLocate the Acrobat or Reader executable (acrord32.exe or acrobat.exe) in the installation directory, typically under C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat [Version]\ or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat Reader DC\. Right-click the executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Product version.Affected if The product version shown falls within the affected ranges listed above.
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Confirm product type and build numberLaunch Adobe Acrobat or Reader, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or Reader). Note the full version string displayed (for example, 24.001.20604 or 20.005.30655).Affected if The build number shown is less than the first fixed version for your product line: for Reader 20.x the fix is 20.005.30655, for Reader 24.x the fix is 24.001.30159, for Reader DC the fix is 24.002.21005.
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Review recent PDF handling activityCheck recent Windows Event Logs (Application and Security logs) around the time of any suspicious PDF openings, or inspect the user's recent documents folder for unexpected or untrusted PDF files that were opened.Affected if A user opened a PDF from an untrusted source and subsequently experienced a crash or unexpected behavior from the Reader application.
You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader is installed and the detected version number falls within any of the vulnerable version ranges (20.x, 24.x, or DC versions below the fixed build numbers), regardless of configuration, since exploitation requires only opening a malicious PDF file.
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 version via Adobe's official channels. Implement user awareness training to avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF attachments.
Acrobat/Reader 20.x: upgrade to 20.005.30655 or later; Acrobat/Reader 24.x: upgrade to 24.002.21005 or later (or 24.001.30159+ for non-DC variants)
- 1. Identify the current installed version of Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or About Adobe Acrobat Reader)
- 2. Based on your current version, determine the appropriate upgrade path: if using version 20.x, upgrade to 20.005.30655 or later; if using version 24.x, upgrade to the latest available version (24.001.30159 or higher for standard Acrobat, 24.002.21005 or higher for Acrobat DC/Reader DC)
- 3. Download the latest version from the official Adobe website at helpx.adobe.com or through your organization's software distribution channel
- 4. Close all Adobe applications before running the installer
- 5. Run the installer with administrator privileges and follow the on-screen prompts
- 6. After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm the vulnerability is resolved
- 7. Ensure user awareness about not opening untrusted PDF files, as exploitation requires user interaction
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-41831 — 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-2024-41831 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data