CVE-2016-6946: Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.18, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic

Q: How do I fix CVE-2016-6946?

acrobat: upgrade to newer than 11.0.17; acrobat dc: upgrade to newer than 15.017.20053; acrobat reader dc: upgrade to newer than 15.017.20053. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2016-6946 being exploited?

CVE-2016-6946 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-2016-6946 affect?

CVE-2016-6946 affects acrobat, acrobat dc, acrobat reader dc. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.18, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30243, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.020.20039 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to exe

Q: How urgent is CVE-2016-6946?

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-2016-6946 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 11.0.18, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30243, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.020.20039 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-1089, CVE-2016-1091, CVE-2016-6944, CVE-2016-6945, CVE-2016-6949, CVE-2016-6952, CVE-2016-6953, CVE-2016-6961, CVE-2016-6962,

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
Weakness	CWE-416
Published	2016-10-13
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

2016-10-13 19:59 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 00:52 UTCUpdated Record last modified

adobe acrobat UPGRADE

Affected: <= 11.0.17

Fixed in: newer than 11.0.17

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 11.0.17 (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: <= 15.006.30201 · <= 15.017.20053

Fixed in: newer than 15.017.20053

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 15.017.20053 (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: <= 15.006.30201 · <= 15.017.20053

Fixed in: newer than 15.017.20053

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 15.017.20053 (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: <= 11.0.17

Fixed in: newer than 11.0.17

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 11.0.17 (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-2016-6946?

acrobat: upgrade to newer than 11.0.17; acrobat dc: upgrade to newer than 15.017.20053; acrobat reader dc: upgrade to newer than 15.017.20053. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2016-6946 being exploited?

CVE-2016-6946 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-2016-6946 affect?

CVE-2016-6946 affects acrobat, acrobat dc, acrobat reader dc. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.18, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30243, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.020.20039 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to exe

How urgent is CVE-2016-6946?

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

Related CVEs

CVE-2026-34621 HIGH 8.6 EXPLOITED UPGRADE UPGRADE Adobe Acrobat and Reader Prototype Pollution Vulnerability
CVE-2026-34622 HIGH 8.6 UPGRADE UPGRADE Acrobat Reader versions 26.001.21411, 24.001.30360, 24.001.30362 and earlier are affected by an Improperly Con
CVE-2026-34626 MEDIUM 6.3 UPGRADE UPGRADE Acrobat Reader versions 26.001.21411, 24.001.30360, 24.001.30362 and earlier are affected by an Improperly Con
CVE-2026-48294 HIGH 7.4 UPGRADE Adobe Acrobat PDF Extension (Chrome) versions 26.5.2.2 and earlier are affected by a UXSS-class cross-origin d
CVE-2026-47965 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE UPGRADE Acrobat Reader versions 24.001.30365, 26.001.21651 and earlier are affected by an out-of-bounds write vulnerab

References

← Back to latest CVEs