CVE-2023-21608: Adobe Acrobat and Reader Use-After-Free Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 10 Oct 2023, 265 days after the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

59.4%

EPSS score, percentile 99.1 of all scored records

How severe?

7.8 High

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA deadline 31 Oct 2023. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• 20.005.30418 and earlier
• 22.003.20282 and earlier
• 22.003.20281 and earlier
• unspecified

Versions by product

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

CISA due date for this action: 31 October 2023.

Advisories and patches

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

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

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

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

Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.

• CISA added CVE-2023-21608 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 10 Oct 2023.
• 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 31 Oct 2023.
• The CVE record was published on 18 Jan 2023, 265 days before it was added to KEV.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 59.4% (percentile 99.1), 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 Reader DC resetForm Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution 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 user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Weakness

• CWE-416

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.

Timeline

References

• helpx.adobe.com

More exploited Adobe vulnerabilities

• CVE-2026-48356: Adobe Commerce and Magento Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type Vulnerability (added 27 Oct 2026)
• CVE-2026-71362: Adobe Commerce and Magento Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability (added 24 Sep 2026)
• CVE-2026-75650: Adobe Commerce and Magento Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine Vulnerability (added 8 Sep 2026)
• CVE-2026-48282: Adobe ColdFusion Path Traversal Vulnerability (added 7 Jul 2026)
• CVE-2009-3459: Adobe Acrobat and Reader Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability (added 20 May 2026)
• CVE-2020-9715: Adobe Acrobat Use-After-Free Vulnerability (added 13 Apr 2026)