CVE-2023-21608: Adobe Acrobat Reader · Use After Free
Affects Adobe Acrobat ReaderSource CVE Database V5
Exploited in the wild · KEV due 31 Oct 2023 · 59% EPSS : apply the vendor's fix or mitigations to Adobe Acrobat Reader now.
Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC
- KEV deadline
- US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else.
- EPSS
- 59.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 99% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Jan 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: evidence found.
Listed in CISA KEV 265 days after disclosure
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
Timeline
CVE ID reserved
by adobe
, 48 days before disclosure
CVE published
on cve.org
, t = 0
Added to CISA KEV (opens in a new tab)
exploitation confirmed
, 265 days after disclosure
KEV remediation due
US federal deadline
, 286 days after disclosure
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CISA KEV (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.
What to do
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe Acrobat Reader | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Description
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.