VULNOS
All Threat Alerts
criticalCVE Alert
CVE-2017-16398

Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2017-16398 — adobe — acrobat, acrobat_dc

An issue was discovered in Adobe Acrobat and Reader: 2017.012.20098 and earlier versions, 2017.011.30066 and earlier versions, 2015.006.30355 and earlier versions, and 11.0.22 and earlier versions. This vulnerability is an instance of a use after free vulnerability in the JavaScript engine. The mismatch between an old and a new object can provide an attacker with unintended memory access -- potentially leading to code corruption, control-flow hijack, or an information leak attack. Successful exp

Wednesday, May 13, 2026adobeVulnios Threat Intelligence
Share:

Vulnerability Snapshot

CVE-2017-16398 is rated CRITICAL — exploitation is trivial or already observed in the wild and impact is severe. Patch immediately, not on the next maintenance window.

Affected technology: acrobat, acrobat_dc, acrobat_reader, acrobat_reader_dc.

Executive Summary

An issue was discovered in Adobe Acrobat and Reader: 2017.012.20098 and earlier versions, 2017.011.30066 and earlier versions, 2015.006.30355 and earlier versions, and 11.0.22 and earlier versions. This vulnerability is an instance of a use after free vulnerability in the JavaScript engine. The mismatch between an old and a new object can provide an attacker with unintended memory access -- potentially leading to code corruption, control-flow hijack, or an information leak attack. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.

Why It Matters

CVE-2017-16398 is rated CRITICAL severity, requiring immediate attention from security teams.

CVSS Base Score: 9.8/10

Affected Technologies

Vendors: adobe

Products: acrobat, acrobat_dc, acrobat_reader, acrobat_reader_dc

🛡️What Defenders Should Check

  • Check if you are affected — Review your asset inventory for products listed in CVE-2017-16398.
  • Apply available patches — Visit vendor advisories for the latest security updates.
  • Monitor for exploitation — Check your SIEM/IDS logs for related indicators.

    • Use Vulnios to continuously monitor your exposure to CVE-2017-16398 and similar vulnerabilities.

    References & Sources

  • http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101818
  • http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039791
  • https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb17-36.html
  • http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101818
  • http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039791
  • https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb17-36.html

    • How Vulnios Detects This

    Vulnios scans for this vulnerability using Trivy and Grype for SBOM-based CVE matching and Vulnios CVE feed continuous monitoring against your asset inventory. Run a scan against your environment to see whether you are exposed; findings are linked back to the original CVE record so triage starts with the patch path already known.

    AI Security Advisor

    Powered by Gemini

    Get AI-powered security recommendations tailored to this specific threat — including risk assessment, detection guidance, MITRE ATT&CK mapping, and actionable remediation steps.

    Affected Products

    acrobatacrobat_dcacrobat_readeracrobat_reader_dc

    Sources

    Related Threat Alerts

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is CVE-2017-16398?

    CVE-2017-16398 is a critical-severity vulnerability tracked under the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures program. An issue was discovered in Adobe Acrobat and Reader: 2017.012.20098 and earlier versions, 2017.011.30066 and earlier versions, 2015.006.30355 and earlier versions, and 11.0.22 and earlier versions. Th

    Am I affected?

    Check whether your environment runs acrobat, acrobat_dc, acrobat_reader, acrobat_reader_dc. If you operate any of those, treat yourself as in scope until you have evidence otherwise. A Vulnios scan will identify the exact assets carrying the affected version.

    How urgent is the response?

    Critical: do not wait for your normal patch cycle. Verify exposure today, apply the vendor patch immediately, and add detection rules for any post-exploit indicators.

    How do I remediate?

    Apply the vendor patch listed in the upstream advisory linked under Sources. If the patch is not yet available, follow the vendor-supplied workaround (often a config flag or feature disable) and add detections for the published exploit pattern in your SIEM. Re-scan after the patch lands to confirm the finding clears.

    Where can I track exploitation activity?

    Watch CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog for CVE-2017-16398. Cross-reference with public exploit databases and your own SIEM/IDS for indicator-of-compromise patterns. Vulnios tracks KEV status automatically and surfaces it on the asset findings view.

    How does Vulnios help with this?

    Vulnios continuously cross-references your asset inventory against the live CVE feed (NVD, vendor advisories, CISA KEV, and curated OSINT). When a new CVE matches your environment, you get a prioritized finding with the severity, KEV status, exploit-prediction (EPSS), and a direct path to the vendor patch. You can start a free scan from the homepage.

    critical

    Protect Your Organization

    Monitor CVEs, scan for vulnerabilities, and get real-time threat alerts — all in one platform.

    Get Started FreeFree Security ScanOSINT Dashboard

    Get instant alerts on Telegram

    Join our public channel for real-time critical CVE alerts.

    Follow @vulnios