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Vulnerabilities/CVE-2023-21608Public Intelligence Dossier
Source: adobe · Limited verification•Last verified: •Collection Degraded
CVE-2023-21608ListedHIGH (raw)CVSS 7.8CWE-416

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

Published: 19 Jan 2023•Last updated: 17 Jun 2026, 11:03 AM IST•Source identifier: psirt@adobe.com
Dossier completeness: source-provided sections 3 / 3 · rule guidance not available. Missing source facts count as incomplete.
Official source
CISA KEV catalog
Listed
Added10 Oct 2023
Due31 Oct 2023
RansomwareUnknown
CVSS score
7.8HIGH (raw)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Metric sourcepsirt@adobe.com
EPSS probability
59.4%0.594
Percentile99th
Weakness type
CWE-416
No further CWE recorded
Remediation
Patch status unknown
No fixed version or KB recorded

Why It Matters

Analysis dossier

Why It Matters

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.

SOC priority

Immediate Attention

Actively exploited (source statement)

Yes

Publicly disclosed

Unknown

Risk basis: CISA KEV exploitation signal; Microsoft or Microsoft-managed product relevance; HIGH severity; Known exploitation signal from CISA KEV or ransomware metadata; Source-confirmed exploitation or CISA KEV/ransomware metadata

Affected Products & Remediation

4 source-backed products
Affected products and versions (source)
  • adobe acrobat dc · >= 15.008.20082 <= 22.003.20282; >= 15.008.20082 <= 22.003.20281 · NVD CPE · Source
  • adobe acrobat reader dc · >= 15.008.20082 <= 22.003.20282; >= 15.008.20082 <= 22.003.20281 · NVD CPE · Source
  • adobe acrobat · dc >= 15.008.20082 <= 22.003.20282; reader dc >= 15.008.20082 <= 22.003.20282; dc >= 15.008.20082 <= 22.003.20281; reader dc >= 15.008.20082 <= 22.003.20281; >= 20.001.30005 <= 20.005.30418; reader >= 20.001.30005 <= 20.005.30418 · NVD CPE · Source
  • adobe acrobat reader · dc >= 15.008.20082 <= 22.003.20282; dc >= 15.008.20082 <= 22.003.20281; >= 20.001.30005 <= 20.005.30418 · NVD CPE · Source
NVD applicability prerequisites: cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*. These are conditions, not proof that an environment is exposed or unaffected.
Recorded patch / KBNot provided by source

Vendor or catalog guidance (source)

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

Known exploitation (source facts)

Only what a source states. Unknown means no source has said either way; it is not "not exploited".

CISA KEV
Listed
Exploited (source statement)
Yes
Publicly disclosed (source)
Unknown

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

Suggested hunting (rule-based inference)

SecOps Signal recommendation (rule-based inference). These steps are hunting hypotheses from the vulnerability class; they do not state or imply that exploitation occurred here or anywhere.

No rule-based guidance for this vulnerability class

CISA KEV Record

Catalog entry
10 Oct 2023
Required action due
31 Oct 2023
Known ransomware use
Unknown

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

Change History & Source Data

— No recorded material change

CNA / source
psirt@adobe.com
Record status · verification
UPDATED · CISA KEV confirmed
CPE
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_dc:*:*:*:*:continuous:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader_dc:*:*:*:*:continuous:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:*:*:*:*:classic:*:*:*, cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:*:*:*:*:classic:*:*:*

Evidence & Provenance

4 public sources
CISA KEV CatalogAdded 2023-10-10helpx.adobe.comSource recordnvd.nist.govSource recordcisa.govSource record

Linked by the query's stored exact CVE association. Review required tables and validation status before use.

Detection Hunting Query
Target: DeviceTvmSoftwareVulnerabilities•Defender XDR
Detect endpoints exposed to CVE-2023-21608
Purpose: Exposure assessment (Category: Exposure Check)Why linked: Query metadata names CVE-2023-21608
DeviceTvmSoftwareVulnerabilities| where CveId == "CVE-2023-21608"| project DeviceId, DeviceName, OSPlatform, OSVersion, SoftwareVendor, SoftwareName, SoftwareVersion, CveId, VulnerabilitySeverityLevel, RecommendedSecurityUpdate, RecommendedSecurityUpdateId| sort by VulnerabilitySeverityLevel desc
Schema Checked · Not runtime validatedSource: SecOps Signal deterministic template · Limited verificationStatic screening: Passed structure and schema checks; tenant execution is not verified.
Open KQL Library
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Correlated briefings

SecOps Signal surfaces public advisory facts only. A missing value means the source has not published it, not that your environment is unaffected. No tenant inventory is connected.