# CVE-2018-5011: Use after free in Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2018.011.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30080 and earlier, and 2015.006.30418 and earlier versions

> A use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted documents.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Jul 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-fg9r-qfc2-vxq5

## What is CVE-2018-5011?

CVE-2018-5011 is a critical use after free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Dc, published on 20 Jul 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2018.011.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30080 and earlier, and 2015.006.30418 and earlier versions have a Use-after-free vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-5011?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Adobe Acrobat Dc, Adobe Acrobat Reader Dc.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-5011?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-5011 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-5011 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-5011 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Adobe Acrobat Dc

- [CVE-2018-4990](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-4990/): Adobe Acrobat and Reader Double Free (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-9715](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-9715/): Adobe Acrobat Use-After-Free (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-3792](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3792/): Use after free in Adobe Acrobat and Reader (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-3793](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3793/): Use after free in Adobe Acrobat and Reader (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-3795](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3795/): Memory corruption in Adobe Acrobat and Reader (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-5011 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-5011 is a critical use after free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Dc, published on 20 Jul 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-5011 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Adobe Acrobat Dc. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5011/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5011/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-5011
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-5011
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-5011

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-5011/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.