Background exploitation KEV catalog
CVE-2023-21608

Adobe Acrobat and Reader Use-After-Free Vulnerability

Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 22.003.20282 (and earlier), 22.003.20281 (and earlier) and 20.005.30418 (and earlier) are affected by a Use After Free vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current…

CheckOps priority index
6.7/10 Patch within 7 days
Severity7.8
Probability5.9
Exploitation3/5

Severity = CVSS. Probability = EPSS (FIRST). Exploitation = public signals: KEV, EUVD, ransomware, EPSS above 10 %, no account required.

EPSS · today 59.4% higher than 99.1% of CVEs
CVSS 3.1 7.8 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:
Exploited for 1,120 days 10 Oct 2023
CISA due date 31 Oct 2023 for US federal agencies

Exploitation probability EPSS · FIRST

05010026 Sep05 Oct15 Oct24 Oct02 Nov
EPSS probability (%)Percentile among all CVEs

Exploitation signals 3 / 5

  • KEV catalog (CISA)10 Oct 2023
  • Exploited in EUVD (ENISA)10 Oct 2023
  • Used by ransomwareno
  • EPSS above 10 %59.4%
  • No account, over the networkno

What to do

Fix

Apply the vendor’s fix as soon as it is available.

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

Meanwhile

Take the service off the internet or restrict access to it, watch the logs and look for signs of compromise.

Manufacturers (CRA)

Exploited vulnerability in your product: early warning to ENISA within 24 h, then notification within 72 h (Article 14 of the Cyber Resilience Act). The CRA explained

Description ENISA EUVD

Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 22.003.20282 (and earlier), 22.003.20281 (and earlier) and 20.005.30418 (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.

Affected products

Acrobat ReaderAcrobat and Reader
Affected versions
  • unspecified ≤22.003.20281
  • unspecified ≤None
  • unspecified ≤20.005.30418
  • unspecified ≤22.003.20282
Weaknesses (CWE)

Open source packages OSV

Affected libraries according to OSV, with fixed versions.

Timeline

  1. Published

  2. Exploitation reported (ENISA)

  3. Added to the KEV catalog

  4. CISA remediation due date

  5. EPSS peak: 61.5%

References

Other exploited vulnerabilities from the same vendor

  • CVE-2026-48356Adobe Commerce and Magento Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type Vulnerability
    7.5 · Rising fast
  • CVE-2026-71362Adobe Commerce and Magento Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability
    8.8 · Actively exploited
  • CVE-2026-75650Adobe Commerce and Magento Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine Vulnerability
    5.9 · Actively exploited
  • CVE-2026-48282Adobe ColdFusion Path Traversal Vulnerability
    7.7 · Actively exploited
  • CVE-2009-3459Adobe Acrobat and Reader Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
    8.5 · Actively exploited
  • CVE-2026-34621Adobe Acrobat and Reader Prototype Pollution Vulnerability
    4.9 · Background exploitation

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Sources: CISA KEV · ENISA EUVD · FIRST EPSS · OSV. Public data aggregated by CheckOps, updated automatically. Source texts remain the property of their authors. All exploited vulnerabilities