Actively exploited · Published Aug 19, 2020 · Assigned by adobe
CVE-2020-9715
High 7.8 Exploited
In plain English
A high-severity use-after-free in Adobe Acrobat and Reader from Adobe. Attackers are actively exploiting it in the wild (listed by CISA on April 13, 2026). The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 33.3% (higher than 98% of all known vulnerabilities). Ready-made attack tooling exists: public proof-of-concept code. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
CISA guidance
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Federal agencies must remediate by Apr 27, 2026.
Official description
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2020.009.20074 and earlier, 2020.001.30002, 2017.011.30171 and earlier, and 2015.006.30523 and earlier have an use-after-free vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution .
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe | Adobe Acrobat and Reader | 2020.009.20074 and earlier, 2020.001.30002, 2017.011.30171 and earlier, and 2015.006.30523 and earlier versions |
Weakness: CWE-416 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-991/
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb20-48.html
- https://blog.exodusintel.com/2021/04/20/analysis-of-a-use-after-free-vulnerability-in-adobe-acrobat-reader-dc/
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-9715 government-resource