CVE-2018-4975

Exploitation likely. EPSS gives it a 11% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. A vendor fix is available.

CVSS 3.07.5High EPSS percentile96th11% chance in 30 days CISA KEVNot listedNo confirmed exploitation
No public exploit known FixVendor fixNo build named by the sources

Published 2018-07-09Updated 2024-11-21Sources: CVE.org, NVD

NVD CVE.org

What to do

The vendor has published a fix. Version details are below where the sources state them.

n/a Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2018.011.20038 and earlier, 2017.011.30079 and earlier, and 2015.006.30417 and earlier versionsAffected: Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2018.011.20038 and earlier, 2017.011.30079 and…Upgrade to: not statedStated by: CVE record
Adobe Acrobat DcAffected: ≥ 15.006.30060, ≤ 15.006.30417Upgrade to: after 15.006.30417Stated by: NVD

Versions as the sources state them. Full version matrix after sign-in

Steps

Written by AI from the record

Check your Adobe Acrobat and Reader version number and compare it to: 2018.011.20038, 2017.011.30079, or 2015.006.30417 (any earlier is vulnerable).
Update Acrobat/Reader using Adobe’s remediation for APSB18-09 (see the vendor fix link below).
After updating, re-check the version number to confirm you are no longer on the vulnerable releases.

Vendor advisory Some work to apply

Check it yourselfA free OpenVAS check exists for this CVE. Run it against your hosts.Is your organisation exposed?Request an assessment to establish which checks fit your systems.

What it is

From the CVE record

Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2018.011.20038 and earlier, 2017.011.30079 and earlier, and 2015.006.30417 and earlier have an Out-of-bounds read vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure.

In plain language

Written by AI from the record

CVE-2018-4975 is a reading flaw in older Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions that can let an attacker reveal some information when you open a specially crafted file; if you’re using a vulnerable version, you should update.

CVE-2018-4975 is an out-of-bounds read in Adobe Acrobat and Reader (2018.011.20038 and earlier, 2017.011.30079 and earlier, 2015.006.30417 and earlier) where crafted document content can cause Acrobat/Reader to read memory beyond intended bounds, enabling information disclosure.

If you're affected

Sensitive document information exposure
Account/session data disclosure risk

What is it

Think of Acrobat/Reader as a document “reader” that pulls content from files. This flaw is like a bug in how it reads parts of a file—under the right conditions, it can accidentally look at data it wasn’t supposed to, which could expose parts of memory. For a business, that means information inside your session or documents could potentially be leaked if you open a malicious file.

Who is affected

This matters if your business uses Adobe Acrobat and Reader and you’re running one of these older versions: 2018.011.20038 and earlier, 2017.011.30079 and earlier, or 2015.006.30417 and earlier. The risk is mainly tied to whether an attacker can get a specially crafted document in front of your users—then exploitation depends on opening that file. There’s no indication in the provided findings of exploitation happening automatically without interaction.

How urgent is it

This is an amber-level issue: it’s a memory-bounds bug with a realistic information-disclosure outcome, and the predicted likelihood is on the higher side with an increasing trend. There is no confirmation that it’s listed in CISA KEV, and there’s no public exploit code on record in the findings, so it’s not “proceed like a worm” urgent—but you should still update the vulnerable Acrobat/Reader versions promptly.

What to do — in detail

Confirm current exposure
- Find your Adobe Acrobat/Reader version (typically shown in the Help/About area).
- Mark yourself as vulnerable if your installed version is:
  - 2018.011.20038 or earlier, or
  - 2017.011.30079 or earlier, or
  - 2015.006.30417 or earlier.
Upgrade to Adobe’s fixed version
- Use Adobe’s APSB18-09 remediation guidance for Acrobat/Reader.
- After updating, verify the version in About/Help again to ensure you moved beyond the vulnerable releases.
Temporary risk reduction (if patching is delayed)
- Treat unexpected PDFs or documents from unknown sources as high risk and restrict opening them until updated.
- If possible, limit who can open new external documents and route suspicious files to a review process.
What to monitor
- Keep an inventory of endpoints with Adobe Acrobat/Reader and ensure they are upgraded on schedule.
- Watch for reports of suspicious documents in email/phishing, since the core trigger is opening a crafted file.

Technical context

CVE-2018-4975 (CWE-125) is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader. The findings indicate the practical impact is information disclosure (confidential data exposure) rather than reliability of code execution. KEV is not listed, and there is no public exploit code recorded in the provided findings, suggesting exploit availability is not broadly demonstrated. A predicted EPSS value is available (11.0%) with a rising trend, but since KEV/news confirming exploitation are not provided here, urgency is based on the vulnerability’s potential impact plus likelihood, not confirmed widespread active exploitation. Attack vector is described in the CVSS as network reachable (AV:N) with no user interaction required per CVSS—however, the business-facing driver remains that a crafted document must reach and be processed by Acrobat/Reader; the findings do not provide additional reachability details beyond the version ranges and out-of-bounds read behavior. The fix is available via Adobe’s APSB18-09 security guidance.

This is a general assessment based on public vulnerability data. It does not account for your specific infrastructure — when in doubt, consult a security specialist.

Exploitation

Where each signal puts this CVE on the scale from published to confirmed exploited.

EPSS96th

CISA KEV

Not in the catalog. CISA has not confirmed exploitation.

Public exploits

No public exploit or proof of concept found in the sources we track.

EPSS

11% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the 96th percentile of scored CVEs.

Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST.org. A probability, not a confirmation.

Lifecycle

23 events over 2998 days, from the signal feeds we watch.

2026-09-23EPSS band change0 → moderateepss band change
2026-09-21EPSS band changemoderate → 0epss band change
2026-09-06EPSS band change0 → moderateepss band change
2026-09-05EPSS band changemoderate → lowepss band change
2026-08-31EPSS band change0 → moderateepss band change
2026-08-28EPSS band changemoderate → 0epss band change

Affected products

adobecommercial · USaka adobe systems inc.
- acrobat reader dcDesktop AppOn-premConsumer Software / productivity

And 2 more affected products. See all after sign-in

Technical detail

CVSS 3.0 vector

Open in the CVSS calculator

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Scored 7.5 by NVD.

How it is reached

Attack Vector NetworkExploitable remotely over the network without any special conditions
Attack Complexity LowNo special conditions — the attack can be reliably reproduced
Privileges Required NoneNo authentication required — anyone can exploit this
User Interaction NoneNo user interaction needed — fully automated exploitation

Scope

Scope UnchangedImpact is limited to the vulnerable component itself

Impact if exploited

Confidentiality HighTotal information disclosure — all data in the component is compromised
Integrity NoneNo integrity impact
Availability NoneNo availability impact