CVE-2019-7820

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

CVSS 3.08.8High EPSS percentile96th11% chance in 30 days CISA KEVNot listedNo confirmed exploitation
No public exploit known FixVendor fixNo build named by the sources

Published 2019-05-22Updated 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.

Adobe Acrobat and ReaderAffected: 2019.010.20100 and earlier, 2019.010.20099 and earlier, 2017.011.30140 and…Upgrade to: not statedStated by: CVE record
Adobe Acrobat DcAffected: ≥ 15.006.30060, ≤ 15.006.30495Upgrade to: after 15.006.30495Affected: ≥ 15.006.30060, ≤ 15.006.30493Upgrade to: after 15.006.30493Stated by: NVD

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

Steps

Written by AI from the record

Check installed Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat versions on every business computer.
Update the 2019 release to 2019.012.20034 or later.
Update the 2017 release to 2017.011.30144 or later, or the 2015 release to 2015.006.30503 or later.
Until updated, do not open unexpected PDF attachments or download PDFs from untrusted websites.

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 2019.010.20100 and earlier, 2019.010.20099 and earlier, 2017.011.30140 and earlier, 2017.011.30138 and earlier, 2015.006.30495 and earlier, and 2015.006.30493 and earlier have a type confusion vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.

In plain language

Written by AI from the record

Adobe Acrobat DC and Adobe Acrobat versions through the listed 2019, 2017, and 2015 releases can be hijacked if someone opens a malicious PDF, so update them promptly.

Type confusion in Adobe Acrobat and Reader permits arbitrary code execution when a victim opens a crafted PDF.

If you're affected

Computer takeover
Customer data exposure
Ransomware risk
Business disruption

What is it

A harmful PDF can exploit a mistake in the software and allow an attacker to run programs on the computer. It is like a document arriving at reception that, when opened, secretly gives an intruder the keys to the office.

Who is affected

This matters to you if your staff use Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat to open PDFs on Windows or Mac computers. The attack requires someone to open a malicious PDF.

How urgent is it

An attacker must persuade someone to open a malicious PDF, so this is an amber-priority update rather than an emergency shutdown. There is no record of confirmed active exploitation, inclusion in CISA’s known-exploited list, or public exploit code, but the potential result is full computer takeover.

What to do — in detail

Confirm the installed version and release track on each endpoint that runs Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat. Upgrade affected 2019 installations to 2019.012.20034 or later, 2017 installations to 2017.011.30144 or later, and 2015 installations to 2015.006.30503 or later; prefer the current supported Adobe release where possible. If patching must wait, block or quarantine unsolicited PDF attachments and prevent users from opening PDFs obtained from untrusted links. No CISA KEV remediation deadline applies because this CVE is not listed in KEV. Monitor endpoint security alerts for unusual processes launched from Acrobat or Reader and investigate suspicious PDFs opened before the update.

Technical context

CVE-2019-7820 is CVSS 8.8 High (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), a CWE-843 type-confusion issue. Exploitation requires user interaction: opening a crafted PDF, after which arbitrary code execution is possible. EPSS predicts a 10.9% likelihood (96th percentile) and is falling. It is not in CISA KEV, and no public exploit code is recorded.

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

22 events over 2681 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 → 0epss 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
- Adobe Acrobat and ReaderDesktop AppConsumer Software / productivity

And 1 more affected product. 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:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Scored 8.8 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 RequiredA user must click a link, open a file, or perform some action

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 HighTotal loss of integrity — attacker can modify any data in the component
Availability HighTotal denial of service — the component is completely unavailable