Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This macOS Acrobat Reader flaw can let a malicious file cause Adobe Reader to load injected dynamic-library code. It requires the victim to open a malicious file, so email and download workflows matter. The supplied CVSS data rates it medium, with limited confidentiality and integrity impact and no availability impact.
Executive priority
Schedule remediation through normal endpoint patching, with higher priority for staff who routinely receive external PDFs. The risk is meaningful but constrained by required user interaction and medium CVSS impact.
Technical view
CVE-2020-24431 is a security feature bypass in Acrobat Reader DC for macOS affecting 2020.012.20048 and earlier, 2020.001.30005 and earlier, and 2017.011.30175 and earlier. It is categorized as CWE-285 and may allow dynamic library code injection by the Adobe Reader process after user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to macOS systems running affected Acrobat Reader DC versions. Organizations with managed Mac fleets, PDF-heavy workflows, or users opening external attachments should prioritize inventory and update verification.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not indicate CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Exploitation requires user interaction: a victim must open a malicious file. Treat this as phishing-adjacent risk rather than a remotely wormable server issue.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports a local, user-interaction security feature bypass leading to dynamic library injection in Reader on macOS. The supplied bundle does not provide exploit details, indicators, or exact fixed builds beyond the Adobe advisory reference.
Mitigation direction
- Review Adobe APSB20-67 for the vendor-approved update path.
- Update affected Acrobat Reader DC for macOS installations.
- Prioritize managed Macs that handle external PDFs or email attachments.
- Keep endpoint protection and file reputation controls enabled.
- Use user training and attachment controls for unsolicited PDFs.
Validation and detection
- Inventory macOS endpoints for Acrobat Reader DC versions.
- Compare installed versions against the affected version thresholds.
- Confirm patched versions align with Adobe APSB20-67 guidance.
- Review software management reports for failed update deployments.
- Check security telemetry for suspicious Reader-launched child processes.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-285: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-24431 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N1.82.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb20-67.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Authorization
Improper Authorization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.