CVE-2018-4990: Adobe Acrobat and Reader Double Free Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 8 Jun 2022, 1,430 days after the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 35.9%
EPSS score, percentile 98.5 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 8.8 High
CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record
- What should I do?
CISA deadline 22 Jun 2022. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected
- Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2018.011.20038 and earlier, 2017.011.30079 and earlier…
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA due date for this action: 22 June 2022.
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2018.011.20038 and earlier, 2017.011.30079 and earlier… |
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
Adobe Acrobat and Reader have a double free vulnerability that could lead to remote code execution.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2018-4990 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 8 Jun 2022.
- CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 22 Jun 2022.
- The CVE record was published on 9 Jul 2018, 1,430 days before it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (High), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 35.9% (percentile 98.5), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Description
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2018.011.20038 and earlier, 2017.011.30079 and earlier, and 2015.006.30417 and earlier have a Double Free vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Weakness
- CWE-415: Double Free
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 9 Jul 2018 | CVE record published |
| 8 Jun 2022 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 22 Jun 2022 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 21 Oct 2025 | CVE record last updated |
References
More exploited Adobe vulnerabilities
- CVE-2026-48356: Adobe Commerce and Magento Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-71362: Adobe Commerce and Magento Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-75650: Adobe Commerce and Magento Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-48282: Adobe ColdFusion Path Traversal Vulnerability
- CVE-2009-3459: Adobe Acrobat and Reader Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
- CVE-2020-9715: Adobe Acrobat Use-After-Free Vulnerability