CVE-2016-6938: Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.17, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic

Q: How do I fix CVE-2016-6938?

acrobat: upgrade to newer than 11.0.16; acrobat dc: upgrade to newer than 15.016.20045; acrobat reader dc: upgrade to newer than 15.016.20045. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2016-6938 being exploited?

CVE-2016-6938 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-2016-6938 affect?

CVE-2016-6938 affects acrobat, acrobat dc, acrobat reader dc. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.17, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30198, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.017.20050 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to exe

Q: How urgent is CVE-2016-6938?

Priority 63/100. Critical severity; EPSS top 5%: very likely to be exploited; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

This week

CRITICAL 9.8REMOTEUPGRADEUPGRADEUPGRADE

CVE-2016-6938 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.8) affecting acrobat, acrobat dc, acrobat reader dc. 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 11.0.17, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30198, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.017.20050 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-4255.

Why this priority

Critical severity
EPSS top 5%: 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	8.7% (top 5%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-416
Published	2016-09-17
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

2016-09-17 02:59 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 00:52 UTCUpdated Record last modified

adobe acrobat UPGRADE

Affected: <= 11.0.16

Fixed in: newer than 11.0.16

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

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

2. UPGRADE to newer than 11.0.16 (Debian / Ubuntu)

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

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade acrobat

Note

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

adobe acrobat dc UPGRADE

Affected: <= 15.006.30174 · <= 15.016.20045

Fixed in: newer than 15.016.20045

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 15.016.20045 (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: <= 15.006.30174 · <= 15.016.20045

Fixed in: newer than 15.016.20045

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 15.016.20045 (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 reader UPGRADE

Affected: <= 11.0.16

Fixed in: newer than 11.0.16

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

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

2. UPGRADE to newer than 11.0.16 (Debian / Ubuntu)

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

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade reader

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-2016-6938?

acrobat: upgrade to newer than 11.0.16; acrobat dc: upgrade to newer than 15.016.20045; acrobat reader dc: upgrade to newer than 15.016.20045. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2016-6938 being exploited?

CVE-2016-6938 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-2016-6938 affect?

CVE-2016-6938 affects acrobat, acrobat dc, acrobat reader dc. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.17, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30198, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.017.20050 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to exe

How urgent is CVE-2016-6938?

Priority 63/100. Critical severity; EPSS top 5%: 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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