CVE-2023-26423
Published: 12 April 2023
Summary
CVE-2023-26423 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, ranked at the 46.8th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis
Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 23.001.20093 and earlier, along with versions 20.005.30441 and earlier, contain a Use After Free vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-26423 and CWE-416. The flaw carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 and can lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user when triggered.
An attacker can exploit the issue by supplying a malicious file that the victim must open. Successful exploitation grants the attacker the ability to run arbitrary code on the affected system without requiring elevated privileges beyond the user's own context.
Adobe's advisory APSB23-24 addresses the vulnerability and directs users to apply the updates released for the affected Acrobat Reader versions. The references point to the same Adobe security bulletin for patch and mitigation guidance.
EPSS for the CVE rose from a low baseline to a peak of 0.0735 on 2025-01-22 before receding to the current value of 0.0024, indicating a period of increased exploitation interest after the original disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-30243
Vulnerability details
Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 23.001.20093 (and earlier) and 20.005.30441 (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 requires user interaction…
more
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.