CVE-2022-27795
📋 TL;DR
A use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC's acroform event processing allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious PDF file. This affects users running vulnerable versions of Acrobat Reader DC across multiple release tracks. Successful exploitation requires user interaction but grants attacker code execution with the victim's privileges.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
📦 What is this software?
Acrobat by Adobe
Acrobat by Adobe
Acrobat by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise via arbitrary code execution with current user privileges, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement.
Likely Case
Malicious actor gains initial foothold on target system through phishing email with malicious PDF, then escalates privileges or deploys additional malware.
If Mitigated
Attack fails due to patched software, restricted user privileges, or security controls blocking malicious PDF delivery.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious PDF). No public exploit code was available at advisory publication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 22.001.20085 (Continuous Track), 20.005.30314 (Classic 2020 Track), 17.012.30206 (Classic 2017 Track)
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb22-16.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to install available updates. 4. Restart the application when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript in Adobe Reader
allPrevents JavaScript execution which may be used in exploitation chain
Edit > Preferences > JavaScript > Uncheck 'Enable Acrobat JavaScript'
Use Protected View
allOpen PDFs in Protected View mode to restrict potentially dangerous operations
File > Open > Check 'Open in Protected View' or configure in Security preferences
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user privileges to prevent administrative access exploitation
- Implement application whitelisting to block unauthorized PDF readers
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and compare version to affected rangesCheck Version:
Windows: wmic product where name="Adobe Acrobat Reader DC" get version
macOS: /Applications/Adobe\ Acrobat\ Reader\ DC.app/Contents/Info.plist | grep -A1 CFBundleShortVersionStringVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 22.001.20085 or higher (Continuous), 20.005.30314 or higher (Classic 2020), or 17.012.30206 or higher (Classic 2017)📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes in acroform.dll
- Unexpected JavaScript execution in PDF files
- Process creation from Adobe Reader with unusual command lines
Network Indicators:
- PDF downloads from suspicious sources
- Outbound connections from Adobe Reader process
SIEM Query:
source="windows" AND (process_name="AcroRd32.exe" OR process_name="Acrobat.exe") AND (event_id="1000" OR event_id="1001") AND module="acroform.dll"