Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Stack-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
What it is
Stack-based buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.
Who's affected
Affects anyone opening, editing, or signing PDFs in Adobe Acrobat or Reader. For a CPA or legal practice, PDFs are typically client tax returns, engagement letters, signed agreements, and discovery documents — opening a malicious PDF runs attacker code in the user's session, which can pivot to file shares or email.
What to do
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA action deadline: April 15, 2022. Federal agencies must complete the required action by this date. For private SMBs the deadline is advisory — but treat it as a strong recommendation, especially if you handle regulated data (HIPAA, GLBA, ABA model rules).
If you don't have someone in-house to verify the patch deployed across every endpoint — or you're not sure whether you're affected — that's exactly the kind of triage we do. Book a free 20-minute triage call.
Severity
CVSS base score: 8.8 — HIGH
Weakness classifications: CWE-20, CWE-121
Source
Pulled daily from the public cisagov/kev-data mirror (CC0). View the original entry on cisa.gov. CISA KEV is US-Government public-domain data; we add the SMB-vertical framing and the coping action above.