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AcrobatApplication · Adobe

CVE-2025-27159

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.005.30763 / 24.001.30235 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 24.001.30225, 20.005.30748, 25.001.20428 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 confidence

This is a Use After Free (UAF) vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader that allows arbitrary code execution when a victim opens a specially crafted malicious PDF file. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management where memory is freed but pointers to it are still referenced, potentially allowing an attacker to manipulate memory and execute arbitrary code with the current user's privileges.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Acrobat Reader to a version newer than 24.001.30225, 20.005.30748, or 25.001.20428. Additionally, educate users to avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider deploying additional endpoint detection controls.

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:>= 20.001.30002, < 20.005.30763>= 24.0.0, < 24.001.30235
Acrobat DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, < 25.001.20432
Acrobat ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 20.001.30002, < 20.005.30763
Acrobat Reader DcApplication
Affected:>= 15.008.20082, < 25.001.20432

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version
    On Windows, open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat\_Installation\CurrentVersion or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\CurrentVersion. Alternatively, open the application, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader to view the exact version number.
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: 20.001.30002 through 20.005.30762, 24.0.0 through 24.001.30234, or 15.008.20082 through 25.001.20431 (for DC variants).
  2. Identify the exact product variant and build
    Check the product name and full version string from the About dialog or registry key. For DC variants, the version format differs (15.x for Classic, 24.x/25.x for Continous). Compare the full version number including the four-digit build suffix against the affected ranges.
    Affected if The full version string matches any of the vulnerable version ranges listed in the CVE.
  3. Verify the application is actively installed and executable
    Confirm the Acrobat/Reader executable exists at typical paths such as C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\Acrobat.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\Reader\AcroRd32.exe. Check that the file size and timestamp are consistent with a valid installation.
    Affected if The vulnerable version executable is present and appears to be a functioning installation rather than a removed or corrupted remnant.
  4. Determine if PDF file handling is enabled
    Attempt to open a benign PDF file with the installed Adobe product or check file association settings in Windows under Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Choose default apps by file type to confirm .pdf files are associated with Adobe Acrobat/Reader.
    Affected if PDF files are associated with the vulnerable Adobe product, meaning the application would be invoked when opening a malicious PDF.

You are affected if Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader is installed with a version number matching any of the vulnerable ranges (20.001.30002 to 20.005.30762, 24.0.0 to 24.001.30234, or 15.008.20082 to 25.001.20431 depending on product variant), and the application handles PDF files in your environment.

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 20.005.30763 / 24.001.30235 / 25.001.20432 or later
Fixed in 20.005.3076324.001.3023525.001.20432
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Acrobat Reader to a version newer than 24.001.30225, 20.005.30748, or 25.001.20428. Additionally, educate users to avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider deploying additional endpoint detection controls.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Acrobat/Reader 20.005.30763+ (2020), 24.001.30235+ (2024), or 25.001.20432+ (2025) depending on your release track

  1. Identify the installed Adobe Acrobat or Reader version by navigating to Help > About (or pressing Ctrl+Ctrl on the keyboard)
  2. For Acrobat/Reader 20.x (2020 release): Upgrade to version 20.005.30763 or later
  3. For Acrobat/Reader 24.x (2024 release): Upgrade to version 24.001.30235 or later
  4. For Acrobat/Reader 25.x (2025 release): Upgrade to version 25.001.20432 or later
  5. Download the latest version from the official Adobe website at https://get.adobe.com/reader/ or https://get.adobe.com/acrobat/
  6. Run the installer with administrator privileges and complete the installation
  7. Restart Adobe Acrobat/Reader after the update completes
  8. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed versions listed above
Caveat Standard minor version upgrade with no major breaking changes expected; ensure compatibility with your PDF workflows and any third-party plugins

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

Fix this in Acrobat Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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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-2025-27159 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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