CVE-2026-81986

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Use After Free in Acrobat Reader Allows Code Execution

Publication date: 2026-09-08

Last updated on: 2026-09-10

Assigner: Adobe Systems Incorporated

Description

Acrobat Reader is affected by a Use After Free vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-08

Last Modified

2026-09-10

Generated

2026-09-29

AI Q&A

2026-09-10

EPSS Evaluated

2026-09-27

NVD

CVE-2026-81986

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
adobe	acrobat_dc	From 15.008.20082 (inc) to 26.002.21901 (exc)
adobe	acrobat_reader_dc	From 15.008.20082 (inc) to 26.002.21901 (exc)
adobe	acrobat	From 24.001.20604 (inc) to 24.001.30429 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-416	The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

Acrobat Reader is affected by a Use After Free vulnerability. This means a program tries to use memory that has already been freed, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as opening a malicious file.

Detection Guidance

Detecting this vulnerability requires checking for vulnerable versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Use commands like 'wmic product get name,version' on Windows or 'dpkg -l | grep acroread' on Linux to list installed versions. Compare the version against Adobe's security bulletin for CVE-2026-81986.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on your system. If exploited, it may lead to unauthorized access, data theft, or installation of malware. Since it requires user interaction, opening a malicious file is necessary for exploitation.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately update Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest patched version. Disable PDF opening in web browsers or email clients to reduce exposure. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files until patched.

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