Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This vulnerability lets a malicious PDF crash memory handling in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and potentially run attacker-controlled code as the signed-in user. The victim must open a crafted PDF, so exposure is mainly on workstations where users receive or download untrusted documents.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority endpoint remediation item, not an internet-facing emergency. Patch exposed user workstations first because successful exploitation can compromise user data and workstation integrity.
Technical view
CVE-2020-24435 is a CWE-122 heap-based buffer overflow in Acrobat Reader DC's submitForm function. Affected versions include 2020.012.20048 and earlier, 2020.001.30005 and earlier, and 2017.011.30175 and earlier. CVSS 3.1 is 7.8 with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Organizations are exposed where Adobe Acrobat Reader DC affected versions remain installed, especially on endpoints handling external PDFs through email, web downloads, ticketing systems, or document workflows.
Exploitation context
The provided sources state exploitation requires user interaction: a victim must open a crafted PDF in Acrobat Reader. KEV is false, and the bundle provides no evidence of active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The source bundle does not include exploit proof, exploit maturity, or detailed patch version mapping. Validation should stay version-focused and vendor-advisory-driven. Do not assume other Adobe products are affected from this bundle alone.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Adobe Acrobat Reader DC installations and affected release tracks.
- Review Adobe APSB20-67 for fixed versions and deploy the vendor update.
- Prioritize users who routinely handle external or unsolicited PDF files.
- Reinforce controls that reduce opening of untrusted PDFs.
Validation and detection
- Compare installed Acrobat Reader DC versions against the affected version thresholds.
- Confirm endpoint management reports successful Adobe update deployment.
- Check whether Acrobat Reader is the default PDF handler on exposed endpoints.
- Review email and web security controls for PDF attachment handling.
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
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-122: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-24435 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb20-67.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2020-1157CVE 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.
Heap-based Buffer Overflow
Heap-based Buffer Overflow represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.