CVE-2024-41835
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 an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive memory. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass mitigations such as ASLR. 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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader allows disclosure of sensitive memory contents through a maliciously crafted PDF file. The memory disclosure can leak addresses useful for bypassing ASLR, a key memory protection mitigation. Exploitation requires user interaction where a victim must open a malicious file.
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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 if Adobe Acrobat or Reader is installedCheck the installed programs list in Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or inspect the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Adobe or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe on Windows, or /Applications on macOS).Affected if Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader is present on the system.
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Determine the exact version of Adobe Acrobat or ReaderOpen the application, then go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Alternatively, on Windows you can right-click the executable (acrord32.exe or acrobat.exe) in the installation folder, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the product version.Affected if The installed version is visible and can be compared against the affected ranges.
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Compare the installed version against the affected version rangesCompare your installed version number to these affected ranges: Adobe Acrobat versions 20.001.30005 through 20.005.30654, and 24.001.20604 through 24.001.30158; Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 20.001.3005 through 20.005.30654, and 24.001.20604 through 24.001.30158; Adobe Acrobat Dc and Acrobat Reader Dc versions 15.008.20082 through 24.002.21004.Affected if The installed version falls within any of the affected version ranges listed.
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Verify the specific build number if within a borderline version rangeLocate the full version string (for example, 20.005.30655 or 24.001.30159) in the About dialog or file properties, ensuring you have the complete build number rather than just the major version.Affected if The build number is less than 20.005.30655 (for 20.x releases) or less than 24.001.30159 (for 24.x releases), or less than 24.002.21005 for DC variants.
If Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader is installed and the version falls within the affected ranges (20.001.30005-20.005.30654, 24.001.20604-24.001.30158 for classic versions, or 15.008.20082-24.002.21004 for DC versions), the environment is potentially affected by this vulnerability.
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 beyond the affected versions listed. Until patched, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files from unknown sources.
Adobe Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 20.005.30655 (or later for 20.x) or 24.001.30159 (or later for 24.x); Adobe Acrobat DC/Acrobat Reader DC 24.002.21005 or later
- 1. Identify the installed Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader version by navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat).
- 2. Based on the installed product and version, determine the target fixed version: For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 20.x.x, upgrade to version 20.005.30655 or later. For Acrobat/Acrobat Reader 24.x.x, upgrade to version 24.001.30159 or later. For Acrobat DC/Acrobat Reader DC, upgrade to version 24.002.21005 or later.
- 3. Download the latest version from the official Adobe website at https://get.adobe.com/reader or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/.
- 4. Ensure user interaction mitigation is in place: Configure Adobe products to open files in Protected View or sandbox mode, and train users to only open files from trusted sources.
- 5. Apply the upgrade by running the downloaded installer with administrator privileges.
- 6. Verify the installed version matches the target fixed version by checking Help > About again.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-41835 — 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-2024-41835 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