CVE-2022-28238
📋 TL;DR
A use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC's annotation 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 within the network.
Likely Case
Malicious actor gains initial foothold on a workstation through a phishing campaign with weaponized PDFs, then escalates privileges or moves laterally.
If Mitigated
Exploit attempt is blocked by application patching, endpoint protection, or user awareness preventing malicious file execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file) but the vulnerability itself is memory corruption leading to code execution.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 22.001.20085 (Continuous Track), 20.005.30314 (Classic 2020 Track), 17.012.30206 (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. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to install available updates. 4. Restart the application when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript in Acrobat Reader
allPrevents JavaScript-based exploitation vectors that might leverage this vulnerability
Edit > Preferences > JavaScript > Uncheck 'Enable Acrobat JavaScript'
Use Protected View for untrusted files
allForces PDFs from untrusted sources to open in sandboxed Protected View mode
File > Preferences > Security (Enhanced) > Check 'Enable Protected View at startup'
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application control to block execution of vulnerable Acrobat Reader versions
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) to monitor for suspicious PDF file execution and memory corruption attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and compare version against 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 (2017)📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Acrobat crash logs with memory access violations
- Windows Event Logs for application crashes (Event ID 1000)
Network Indicators:
- PDF file downloads from suspicious sources
- Outbound connections from Acrobat process to unknown IPs
SIEM Query:
source="*acrobat*" AND (event_id=1000 OR "access violation" OR "memory corruption")