CVE-2014-0496
CVE-2014-0496 is a security flaw in Adobe Reader and Acrobat, Adobe’s software for opening and editing PDFs. Attackers can run their own code on Adobe Reader and Acrobat. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 3 Mar 2022.[1]
Adobe Reader and Acrobat is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work.
Description
CISA calls it an use-after-free in Adobe Reader and Acrobat. In its words: “Adobe Reader and Acrobat contain a use-after-free vulnerability which can allow for code execution.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.9 and 11.x before 11.0.06 on Windows and Mac OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.”[2]
The underlying weakness is CWE-399, in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 8.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by the organisation that published the CVE using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it. CISA names the product as Adobe Reader and Acrobat.
Every device with Adobe Reader and Acrobat needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 3 Mar 2022, 2,969 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 24 Mar 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 40%. That’s in the top 2% of the flaws it scores.[3]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Update Adobe Reader and Acrobat now.Install the latest update from Adobe on every device that has it, and restart when asked. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 8.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 40%.[3] |
See also
Other Adobe Reader and Acrobat flaws
- CVE-2011-2462: universal 3D memory corruption ·
- CVE-2014-0546: sandbox bypass ·
- CVE-2013-2729: arbitrary integer overflow ·
- CVE-2009-0927: reader and adobe acrobat stack-based buffer overflow ·
- CVE-2013-3346: memory corruption ·
- CVE-2013-0640: memory corruption ·
Other Adobe flaws
- CVE-2026-48356, Adobe Commerce and Magento: unrestricted upload of file with dangerous type ·
- CVE-2026-71362, Adobe Commerce and Magento: incorrect authorization ·
- CVE-2026-75650, Adobe Commerce and Magento: improper neutralization of special elements used in a template engine ·
- CVE-2026-48282, Adobe ColdFusion: path traversal ·
- CVE-2009-3459, Adobe Acrobat and Reader: heap-based buffer overflow ·
Similar flaws
- CVE-2010-0806, Microsoft Internet Explorer: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2013-3893, Microsoft Internet Explorer: resource management errors ·
- CVE-2012-2539, Microsoft Word: remote code execution ·
- CVE-2018-0180, Cisco IOS Software: denial-of-service ·
- CVE-2018-0179, Cisco IOS Software: denial-of-service ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2022-20708, Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers: small business RV series routers stack-based buffer overflow ·
- CVE-2022-20703, Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers: small business RV series routers stack-based buffer overflow ·
- CVE-2022-20701, Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers: small business RV series routers stack-based buffer overflow ·
- CVE-2022-20700, Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers: small business RV series routers stack-based buffer overflow ·
- CVE-2022-20699, Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers: small business RV series routers stack-based buffer overflow ·
Every Adobe flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in March 2022
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Adobe Reader and Acrobat Use-After-Free Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 3 Mar 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2014-0496 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 15 Jan 2014.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.400, percentile 98.6, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2014-0496”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.