CVE-2016-1121: Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.16, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic

Q: How do I fix CVE-2016-1121?

acrobat dc: upgrade to newer than 15.010.20060; acrobat reader dc: upgrade to newer than 15.010.20060; acrobat xi: upgrade to newer than 11.0.15. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2016-1121 being exploited?

CVE-2016-1121 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2016-1121 affect?

CVE-2016-1121 affects acrobat dc, acrobat reader dc, acrobat xi. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.16, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30172, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.016.20039 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to exe

Q: How urgent is CVE-2016-1121?

Priority 63/100. Critical severity; EPSS top 7%: very likely to be exploited; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

This week

CRITICAL 9.8REMOTEUPGRADEUPGRADEUPGRADE

CVE-2016-1121 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.8) affecting acrobat dc, acrobat reader dc, acrobat xi. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.16, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30172, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.016.20039 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-1045, CVE-2016-1046, CVE-2016-1047, CVE-2016-1048, CVE-2016-1049, CVE-2016-1050, CVE-2016-1051, CVE-2016-1052, CVE-2016-1053,

Why this priority

Critical severity
EPSS top 7%: very likely to be exploited
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.8 (Critical)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	5.8% (top 7%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2016-05-11
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Adobe Systems Incorporated · Vendor: adobe

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2016-05-11 11:00 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 00:41 UTCUpdated Record last modified

adobe acrobat dc UPGRADE

Affected: <= 15.006.30121 · <= 15.010.20060

Fixed in: newer than 15.010.20060

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy acrobat-dc || rpm -q acrobat-dc || acrobat-dc --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 15.010.20060 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade acrobat-dc

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade acrobat-dc

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

adobe acrobat reader dc UPGRADE

Affected: <= 15.006.30121 · <= 15.010.20060

Fixed in: newer than 15.010.20060

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy acrobat-reader-dc || rpm -q acrobat-reader-dc || acrobat-reader-dc --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 15.010.20060 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade acrobat-reader-dc

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade acrobat-reader-dc

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

adobe acrobat xi UPGRADE

Affected: <= 11.0.15

Fixed in: newer than 11.0.15

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy acrobat-xi || rpm -q acrobat-xi || acrobat-xi --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 11.0.15 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade acrobat-xi

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade acrobat-xi

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

adobe reader xi UPGRADE

Affected: <= 11.0.15

Fixed in: newer than 11.0.15

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy reader-xi || rpm -q reader-xi || reader-xi --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 11.0.15 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade reader-xi

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade reader-xi

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2016-1121?

acrobat dc: upgrade to newer than 15.010.20060; acrobat reader dc: upgrade to newer than 15.010.20060; acrobat xi: upgrade to newer than 11.0.15. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2016-1121 being exploited?

CVE-2016-1121 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2016-1121 affect?

CVE-2016-1121 affects acrobat dc, acrobat reader dc, acrobat xi. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.16, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30172, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.016.20039 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to exe

How urgent is CVE-2016-1121?

Priority 63/100. Critical severity; EPSS top 7%: very likely to be exploited; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Software pages

Windows vulnerabilities · Adobe Acrobat vulnerabilities · Adobe Reader vulnerabilities

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References

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