CVE-2026-27278
Published: 10 March 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-27278 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Apple Macos. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked at the 11.5th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) and RA-5 (Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Mandates timely identification, reporting, and correction of software flaws like this Use After Free vulnerability via patching affected Acrobat Reader versions.
Requires vulnerability scanning to identify presence of the unpatched Acrobat Reader versions vulnerable to this CVE.
Deploys memory protections such as DEP and ASLR to mitigate arbitrary code execution from Use After Free exploits in PDF processing.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
UAF in PDF reader directly enables RCE on malicious file open (T1203 client exploitation + T1204.002 malicious file user execution).
NVD Description
Acrobat Reader versions 24.001.30307, 24.001.30308, 25.001.21265 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 in that a…
more
victim must open a malicious file.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-27278 is a Use After Free vulnerability (CWE-416) affecting Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 24.001.30307, 24.001.30308, 25.001.21265, and earlier. The flaw occurs in the PDF processing component and can lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts with low attack complexity but requiring local access and user interaction.
Exploitation requires a victim to open a specially crafted malicious PDF file, typically delivered via email, web download, or other social engineering vectors. An attacker with no privileges can leverage this to achieve remote code execution as the logged-in user, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, or malware persistence on the affected machine. The local attack vector underscores the need for caution with untrusted files, even if opened in a sandboxed environment.
Adobe's security advisory (APSB26-26) at https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb26-26.html provides details on the vulnerability and recommends updating to patched versions of Acrobat Reader to mitigate the issue. Security practitioners should prioritize patching affected systems and educate users on avoiding unsolicited PDF attachments.
Details
- CWE(s)