Description
Acrobat Reader is 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.
Published: 2026-09-08
Score: 7.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Arbitrary Code Execution
Action: Patch
AI Analysis

Impact

Acrobat Reader is vulnerable to a use‑after‑free flaw that lets an attacker execute arbitrary code in the victim’s user context. The weakness, identified as CWE‑416, occurs when a malicious PDF file frees allocated memory and then attempts to access it again, allowing execution of crafted instructions. Successful exploitation can compromise any data the user has access to and bypass normal application controls.

Affected Systems

Adobe products affected include Acrobat 2024, Acrobat Reader, and Adobe Acrobat. Version details beyond the 2024 release are not specified in the advisory.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score is 7.8, indicating a high‑severity vulnerability. EPSS data is not reported, and the issue is not listed in CISA KEV. The vulnerability requires user interaction—opening a malicious PDF—so the attack vector is user‑initiated local. While the lack of known public exploits reduces immediate risk, the high severity and lack of mitigation make it a priority to patch promptly.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 9, 2026 at 09:04 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Apply the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader update as described in the Adobe Security Advisory.
  • If the fix is not yet available, block or quarantine PDF files from untrusted sources until the patch can be applied.
  • For environments unable to apply the patch immediately, isolate Adobe Reader processes and run the application inside a sandbox with limited permissions.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 9, 2026 at 09:04 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 20:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Adobe acrobat 2024
Vendors & Products Adobe acrobat 2024

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Adobe
Adobe acrobat
Adobe acrobat Dc
Adobe acrobat Reader Dc
Apple
Apple macos
Microsoft
Microsoft windows
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:*:*:*:*:classic:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_dc:*:*:*:*:continuous:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader_dc:*:*:*:*:continuous:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Adobe
Adobe acrobat
Adobe acrobat Dc
Adobe acrobat Reader Dc
Apple
Apple macos
Microsoft
Microsoft windows

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Tue, 08 Sep 2026 20:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Acrobat Reader is 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.
Title Acrobat Reader | Use After Free (CWE-416)
Weaknesses CWE-416
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}


Subscriptions

Adobe Acrobat Acrobat 2024 Acrobat Dc Acrobat Reader Dc
Apple Macos
Microsoft Windows
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: adobe

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-09T09:54:41.105Z

Reserved: 2026-08-27T21:20:45.366Z

Link: CVE-2026-81986

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-09-09T09:51:15.369Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-09-08T21:18:45.230

Modified: 2026-09-10T14:37:14.447

Link: CVE-2026-81986

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-13T20:06:24Z

Weaknesses