Actively exploited vulnerability
Adobe Reader and Acrobat: security bypass flaw under attack
CVE-2014-0546 · Adobe Reader and Acrobat Sandbox Bypass Vulnerability
What is affected
Adobe Reader and Acrobat is found on ordinary personal computers and phones, so this is not only a problem for companies. If you use it and have not updated since the fix was released, you are exposed.
Adobe Reader and Acrobat on Windows allow attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism, and consequently execute native code in a privileged context.
What an attacker can do
This is a security bypass flaw. It lets an attacker slip past a built-in protection, so warnings and checks that normally stop malicious content never appear.
- How it is reached
- Over the internet or network
- Access the attacker needs
- No account needed
- Does the victim have to do something?
- No, works without the victim doing anything
What to do
- Update Adobe Reader and Acrobat now. Open the update or "About" screen, install whatever is offered and restart the app or device, because the fix is not active until you do.
- Turn on automatic updates so the next fix arrives without you having to look for it.
- If your device is too old to receive this update, stop using the affected app for anything sensitive and plan a replacement.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
How urgent is it
CISA added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on May 25, 2022, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by June 15, 2022, a deadline that has already passed. That deadline does not bind anyone else, but it shows how seriously the agency rates it.
The EPSS model estimates a 22% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 98% of all scored vulnerabilities.
Its CVSS severity score is 9.8 out of 10 (critical), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.
Technical description
Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.11 and 11.x before 11.0.08 on Windows allow attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism, and consequently execute native code in a privileged context, via unspecified vectors.