CVE-2023-21608
HIGHCISA KEVEPSS 99th pctlDescription
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.
How to fix
Actively exploited, no published fix found yet
CISA required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Federal remediation due: 2023-10-31
Mitigation guidance may be in the linked vendor advisories in the References section below.
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CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 99% of all known CVEs.
Adobe Acrobat and Reader Use-After-Free Vulnerability
Adobe Acrobat and Reader contains a use-after-free vulnerability that allows for code execution in the context of the current user.
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Remediation due: 2023-10-31
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-416 (Use After Free) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2019-0708 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | - |
| CVE-2021-31166 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2015-5119 | Critical | 9.8 | 99% | KEV | - |
| CVE-2010-3962 | High | 8.1 | 96% | KEV | - |
| CVE-2015-0313 | Critical | 9.8 | 96% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2021-34833 | High | 7.8 | 96% | - | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2023-21608?
No published fix for CVE-2023-21608 has been found yet. It is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list; federal agencies must remediate by 2023-10-31. Apply the vendor's mitigations per CISA's guidance.
Is CVE-2023-21608 being actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2023-21608 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation has been observed in the wild. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 2023-10-31. Treat it as a priority whatever its CVSS score says.
How severe is CVE-2023-21608?
CVE-2023-21608 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-10-23.