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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2025-43573: Adobe Acrobat Reader · Use After Free

Affects Adobe Acrobat ReaderSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 38% 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 10 Jun 2025

  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

To mitigate CVE-2025-43573 effectively, organizations should implement a multi-layered approach beyond generic patching advice: 1) Immediately restrict the opening of PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources through email filtering, endpoint controls, and user training to reduce the risk of malicious file execution. 2) Deploy advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying anomalous behaviors associated with use-after-free exploitation, such as unusual memory access patterns or code injection attempts. 3) Enforce the principle of least privilege by ensuring users operate with minimal necessary permissions, limiting the impact of potential code execution. 4) Utilize application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized applications or scripts from running, especially those triggered by PDF reader exploits. 5) Monitor network traffic for indicators of compromise related to PDF-based attacks and establish incident response plans tailored to document-based threats. 6) Once Adobe releases patches, prioritize rapid deployment across all affected systems, including legacy versions still in use. 7) Consider sandboxing PDF readers or using alternative PDF viewers with a smaller attack surface in high-risk environments. 8) Educate users on recognizing suspicious PDFs and phishing attempts to reduce the likelihood of user interaction with malicious files. These targeted measures will significantly reduce the attack surface and potential damage from exploitation of this vulnerability.

Description

Acrobat Reader versions 24.001.30235, 20.005.30763, 25.001.20521 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.

References

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