CVE-2026-81990

Acrobat Reader | Use After Free (CWE-416)

Published Sep 8, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 7.8 High EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed

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.

Analysis

Technical impact

Acrobat Reader contains a use‑after‑free that can allow arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires a victim to open a malicious PDF. The flaw is a classic memory‑safety weakness and is labeled CWE‑416.

Affected Systems

Adobe Acrobat 2024, Acrobat Reader, and Adobe Acrobat desktop products are potentially affected. The CVE does not list specific vulnerable versions, so users should verify their product version against Adobe’s advisory.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 7.8 indicates a high severity. The EPSS score is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Attack requires user interaction – a user must open a malicious PDF – so risk is heightened in environments that frequently process unknown documents.

Affected Products

Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).

Vendor Product Default status Versions

Adobe

Adobe Acrobat

unaffected

Version	Status	Constraints
`0`	affected	≤ 26.002.21900
`26.002.21901`	unaffected	—

Adobe

Acrobat Reader

unaffected

Version	Status	Constraints
`0`	affected	≤ 26.002.21900
`26.002.21901`	unaffected	—

Adobe

Acrobat 2024

unaffected

Version	Status	Constraints
`0`	affected	≤ 24.001.30383
`24.001.30429`	unaffected	—

Configuration 1 [-]

AND

OR	cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:::::classic:::*
	cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_dc:::::continuous:::*
	cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader_dc:::::continuous:::*

OR	cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:::::::*
	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:::::::*

No data.

Vendor Product Versions

Adobe

Acrobat

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[0,26.002.21900]`	affected	generic	—
`26.002.21901`	unaffected	generic	—

Adobe

Acrobat 2024

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[0,24.001.30383]`	affected	generic	—
`24.001.30429`	unaffected	generic	—

Adobe

Acrobat Reader

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[0,26.002.21900]`	affected	generic	—
`26.002.21901`	unaffected	generic	—

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

Apply the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader patch once it is released.
Disable JavaScript and other scripting features in Acrobat Reader to reduce the attack surface.
Educate users to avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and to verify file integrity.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 9, 2026 at 09:12 UTC.

Tracking

Advisories

No advisories available

Metrics

No CVSS v4.0

Attack Vector Local

Attack Complexity Low

Privileges Required None

Scope Unchanged

Confidentiality Impact High

Integrity Impact High

Availability Impact High

User Interaction Required

No CVSS v3.0

No CVSS v2

This CVE is not in the KEV list.

Exploit prediction score: < 1% (0.376% probability within 30 days)

Exploitation none

Automatable no

Technical Impact total

References

Link	Providers
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb26-141.html

History

Sep 13, 2026 8:30 PM First appearance in the feed. Affected vendors updated View changes

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

Sep 10, 2026 2:00 PM First appearance in the feed. Affected versions updated. Affected vendors updated View changes

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

Sep 9, 2026 11:30 AM Scoring metrics updated View changes

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Metrics		ssvc `{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}`

Sep 8, 2026 8:45 PM Description updated. Title updated. Weaknesses updated. Added references. Scoring metrics updated View changes

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		https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb26-141.html
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'}`