Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets a malicious PDF-like file make Adobe Acrobat Reader read memory it should not. The source says this can expose information useful for bypassing defenses such as ASLR. It requires a user to open a malicious file, so exposure is mainly endpoint and phishing-driven rather than remote automatic compromise.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate endpoint risk. It is not described as actively exploited, but it affects common document software and can help bypass memory-protection defenses. Patch through normal endpoint management with priority for externally facing business teams.
Technical view
CVE-2022-28255 is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC file parsing. A crafted file can trigger reading past an allocated memory structure. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, required user interaction, high confidentiality impact, no integrity or availability impact.
Likely exposure
Organizations are exposed where users have Adobe Acrobat Reader DC 22.001.2011x or earlier, 20.005.3033x or earlier, or 17.012.3022x or earlier and can open attacker-supplied files.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not state active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked CISA KEV. Exploitation requires user interaction: the victim must open a malicious file. The main risk is information disclosure that may help bypass mitigations, potentially supporting a larger exploit chain.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Adobe advisory reference. The bundle identifies affected version families and the ASLR-bypass consequence, but does not include exploit maturity, proof-of-concept status, or detailed fixed-version text.
Mitigation direction
- Review Adobe APSB22-16 and apply the vendor-recommended Acrobat Reader updates.
- Restrict opening of untrusted PDF or document attachments where practical.
- Use email and web filtering to reduce delivery of suspicious files.
- Prioritize remediation on systems handling external documents or email attachments.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Acrobat Reader DC installations and versions across endpoints.
- Flag 22.001.2011x and earlier, 20.005.3033x and earlier, and 17.012.3022x and earlier.
- Confirm patched status against Adobe APSB22-16 vendor guidance.
- Check endpoint exposure for users who routinely receive external documents.
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
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CWE-125: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-28255 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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.
SSVC decision data
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:N/A:N1.83.6adobeVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb22-16.htmlCVE reference, adobe · 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.
Out-of-bounds Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.