CVE-2024-49531
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 24.005.20307, 24.001.30213, 24.001.30193, 20.005.30730, 20.005.30710 and earlier are affected by a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability that could result in an application denial-of-service. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to crash the application, leading to a denial-of-service condition. 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 confidenceThis is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader. When a victim opens a specially crafted malicious file, the application attempts to dereference a NULL pointer, causing a crash and denial-of-service condition.
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>= 20.001.30002, < 20.005.30748>= 24.001.30159, < 24.001.30225>= 15.007.20033, < 24.005.20320>= 20.001.30002, < 20.005.30748>= 15.007.20033, < 24.005.20320CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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.
-
Identify installed Adobe Acrobat Reader versionOpen Adobe Acrobat Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat). Alternatively, on Windows, open Programs and Features and locate Adobe Acrobat Reader to see the installed version number.Affected if The version displayed is >= 20.001.30002 and < 20.005.30748, or >= 24.001.30159 and < 24.001.30225 (for standard Reader), or >= 15.007.20033 and < 24.005.20320 (for Reader Dc variants)
-
Confirm Adobe product variantDetermine whether the installed product is Adobe Acrobat Reader (standard) or Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc. In the About dialog, look for 'Reader Dc' or 'Acrobat Reader' in the product name. On Windows, check the exact name listed in Programs and Features.Affected if The product is Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc and the version is >= 15.007.20033 but < 24.005.20320, or standard Reader with version in the ranges from step 1
-
Verify whether users open untrusted PDF filesAssess user behavior and endpoint controls: check if email gateways filter attachments, if endpoint protection scans files, or review user training on handling unexpected attachments. This is a file-based vulnerability that requires a user to open a specially crafted malicious PDF.Affected if Users in the environment routinely open PDF attachments from untrusted or unknown sources without verification, or no additional file-type restrictions are in place
A user is affected if their installed Adobe Acrobat Reader or Reader Dc version falls within any of the vulnerable version ranges AND they may open untrusted PDF files.
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 · scoped20.005.3074824.001.3022524.005.20320
Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to a patched version beyond the affected releases. Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files until the update is applied.
Acrobat 20.005.30748+ (for v20.x); Acrobat 24.001.30225+ (for v24.x Acrobat); Acrobat DC/Reader DC 24.005.20320+ (for DC variants)
- 1. Identify the exact Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader version currently installed by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Adobe Acrobat (or About Adobe Acrobat Reader)
- 2. Determine which product line applies: standard Acrobat, Acrobat DC, Acrobat Reader, or Acrobat Reader DC
- 3. For Acrobat version 20.x (e.g., 20.005.30730 or earlier): Upgrade to version 20.005.30748 or later
- 4. For Acrobat version 24.x (e.g., 24.001.30193 or earlier): Upgrade to version 24.001.30225 or later
- 5. For Acrobat DC version 15.x through 24.x (e.g., 24.005.20307 or earlier): Upgrade to version 24.005.20320 or later
- 6. For Acrobat Reader version 20.x: Upgrade to version 20.005.30748 or later
- 7. For Acrobat Reader DC version 15.x through 24.x: Upgrade to version 24.005.20320 or later
- 8. Download the appropriate updated version from the official Adobe website or use the application's built-in update feature (Help > Check for Updates)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-49531 — 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-2024-49531 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
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.
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.
- 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