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Adobe · Acrobat and Reader

CVE-2023-21608

Adobe Acrobat and Reader Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CISA KEV record

CISA date added
2023-10-10
CISA due date
2023-10-31
Known ransomware use
Unknown

NVD risk context

7.8 HIGH

CVSS is a technical severity score. CISA’s KEV status remains the evidence that this vulnerability is known to be exploited.

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Attack vector
Local
An attacker needs local access to the affected system.
Attack complexity
Low
Exploitation does not require unusual conditions beyond normal attacker control.
Privileges required
None
The attacker does not need an existing account or privileges.
User interaction
Required
A user must take an action, such as opening a file or link.

Description

Adobe Acrobat and Reader contains a use-after-free vulnerability that allows for code execution in the context of the current user.

Required action

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

NVD reference index

Vendor and remediation references

NVD has tagged these sources as vendor advisories, patches, mitigations, or release notes.

Other NVD references (1)

MITRE CWE context

CWE classification

CWE-416 Use After Free

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

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NVD record timing

NVD record timeline

These dates describe NVD’s record, not CISA’s KEV addition or remediation due date.

NVD published
Jan 18, 2023, 07:15 PM UTC
When NVD first published this CVE record.
NVD last updated
Jun 17, 2026, 05:33 AM UTC
When NVD last changed its analysis or record data.
Advanced: view the technical CVSS vector

This standardized code is intended for security tools and technical analysts. The plain-language risk summary above explains its main points.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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CISA notes

https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb23-01.html; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-21608