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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2023-44338: Adobe Acrobat Reader · Out-of-bounds Read

Affects Adobe Acrobat ReaderSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:54 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
2.0% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 81% 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:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 16 Nov 2023

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Adobe Acrobat ReaderAffected
  • =0
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

  1. Monitor Adobe’s official channels for patches and apply updates immediately once available to remediate the vulnerability.
  2. Implement robust email filtering solutions to detect and block malicious PDF attachments or links.
  3. Employ endpoint protection platforms with behavior-based detection to identify suspicious activities related to PDF processing.
  4. Educate users on the risks of opening unsolicited or unexpected PDF files, emphasizing verification of sender authenticity.
  5. Restrict Acrobat Reader usage privileges where possible, such as running the application with least privilege and disabling JavaScript within PDFs if not required.
  6. Use network segmentation to limit the impact of a compromised host.
  7. Regularly audit and update software inventory to ensure vulnerable versions are identified and remediated promptly.
  8. Consider deploying application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code spawned by exploitation attempts.

Description

CVE-2023-44338 is a high-severity out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 23.006.20360 and earlier, as well as 20.005.30524 and earlier. The flaw occurs when parsing a specially crafted file, allowing an attacker to read memory beyond allocated bounds. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, specifically opening a malicious PDF file, and can lead to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the current user. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with a CVSS score of 7.8. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild.

References

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