CVE-2020-9715

Adobe Acrobat Use-After-Free Vulnerability

Actively exploited (CISA KEV) High 7.8 CVSS 3.1

Description

Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2020.009.20074 and earlier, 2020.001.30002, 2017.011.30171 and earlier, and 2015.006.30523 and earlier have an use-after-free vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution .

Description as published by the source, in English.

Key facts

Published: 2020-08-19
Last modified: 2026-06-17
Assigned by: psirt@adobe.com
CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Scored by: nvd@nist.gov (NVD Primary)
Probability of exploitation: 48.4 % higher than 99 % of all known vulnerabilities
EPSS, next 30 days, model v2026.06.15
Fix available: Yes, see references

Actively exploited

CISA added this vulnerability to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2026-04-13, with a remediation deadline of 2026-04-27 for US federal agencies.

Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Affected products

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status
Adobe	Acrobat Dc	20.001.30002	Affected
Adobe	Acrobat Dc	≥ 15.006.30060, ≤ 15.006.30523	Affected
Adobe	Acrobat Dc	≥ 15.008.20082, ≤ 20.009.20074	Affected
Adobe	Acrobat Dc	≥ 17.011.30059, ≤ 17.011.30171	Affected
Adobe	Acrobat Reader Dc	20.001.30002	Affected
Adobe	Acrobat Reader Dc	≥ 15.006.30060, ≤ 15.006.30523	Affected
Adobe	Acrobat Reader Dc	≥ 15.008.20082, ≤ 20.009.20074	Affected
Adobe	Acrobat Reader Dc	≥ 17.011.30059, ≤ 17.011.30171	Affected
Apple	Macos	all versions listed	Not affected
Microsoft	Windows	all versions listed	Not affected

Weakness type

CWE-416: Use After Free
The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within…

References

https://blog.exodusintel.com/2021/04/20/analysis-of-a-use-after-free-vulnerability-in-ado… Exploit, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb20-48.html Vendor Advisory
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-991/ Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://blog.exodusintel.com/2021/04/20/analysis-of-a-use-after-free-vulnerability-in-ado… Exploit, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb20-48.html Vendor Advisory
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-991/ Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-9715 US Government Resource

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Does this affect you?

A vulnerability matters only if you run the product, in an affected version, somewhere an attacker can reach.

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Sources and freshness

CVE

What it is: A reference number naming one specific vulnerability, for example CVE-2024-9474.
What it tells you: Which vulnerability we are talking about, and in which product.
What it does NOT tell you: Nothing about how serious it is, whether anyone is exploiting it, or whether it concerns you.
Why it matters: Without a shared number, vendor, authority and tooling cannot discuss the same flaw.
Used with the others: The number is the key. NVD, KEV and EPSS all describe the same CVE.

NVD CWE CISA KEV EPSS

How to read this together

No single value should be used on its own. A high CVSS score does not mean a vulnerability is being exploited, and a low one does not mean it is harmless. The four sources answer four different questions.

CVE names the specific vulnerability.
NVD adds severity and technical detail about it.
CWE describes the type of mistake behind it.
CISA KEV shows that it is already being exploited.
EPSS estimates how likely exploitation is soon.

The order that decides what is urgent

Do you actually have the product?
Is the version you run affected?
Is it listed in CISA KEV?
Does it have a high EPSS score?
Is the system reachable from the internet or from others?
How important is the system to the business?
Are there compensating controls already in place?

The first two questions are not about the vulnerability at all. They are about you, and they remove most of the list before you start.

A short example

Fix this week

CVSS 6,5 (medium)

In CISA KEV: yes
EPSS: 94 per cent
A firewall facing the internet

Can be scheduled

CVSS 9,8 (critical)

In CISA KEV: no
EPSS: 0,04 per cent
A test server with no internet access

Sorted by CVSS alone, the one on the right comes first. It is the more serious flaw in theory. But the one on the left is being used against real organisations right now, and it sits where an attacker can reach it. That is the one to fix first.

The critical one still has to be fixed. It just does not have to be fixed today.

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. CVE and the CVE logo are registered trademarks of The MITRE Corporation; CVE records are used under the CVE Terms of Use. CWE is a trademark of The MITRE Corporation, used per the CWE Terms of Use. KEV data from CISA (CC0). Exploitation probability from EPSS, a FIRST.org project. Open-source package data from OSV and the GitHub Advisory Database (CC-BY 4.0).

Scores and vectors are shown as published by the sources. The ordering of results is Berigo's own editorial assessment, described on the search page, and is not NVD data. An empty result never means a system is safe.