CVE-2022-34223
Published: 15 July 2022
Summary
CVE-2022-34223 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, ranked in the top 22.7% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis
Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 22.001.20142 and earlier, 20.005.30334 and earlier, and 17.012.30229 and earlier contain a Use After Free vulnerability tracked as CVE-2022-34223. The flaw is assigned CWE-416 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8, reflecting local attack vector, low complexity, no required privileges, and required user interaction that can lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.
An attacker can exploit the issue by supplying a specially crafted PDF file that triggers the use-after-free condition when opened in an affected Reader installation. Successful exploitation grants the attacker the ability to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the logged-in user, potentially allowing full control over the affected system.
The vendor advisory at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb22-32.html addresses the vulnerability and provides remediation guidance for supported Acrobat and Reader releases.
EPSS for the CVE rose from a low baseline after disclosure to a peak of 0.0749 on 2025-01-22 before receding to the current value of 0.0099, indicating a period of increased exploitation interest well after initial publication.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2022-37192
Vulnerability details
Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 22.001.20142 (and earlier), 20.005.30334 (and earlier) and 17.012.30229 (and earlier) are 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…
more
requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Use-after-free exploits that achieve arbitrary code execution are blocked or significantly hardened by non-executable pages and ASLR.