CVE-2016-1038

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 allow attackers to bypass JavaScript API execution restrictions via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-1039, CVE-2016-1040, CVE-2016-1041, CVE-2016-1042, CVE-2016-1044, CVE-2016-1062, and CVE-2016-1117.

Published: 2016-05-11 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2016-1038 is rated High Risk (72.7/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 6.97%, 93th percentile). EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2016-1038

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-17 6.91% 6.97% +0.06%
2 2026-06-15 5.35% 6.91% +1.56%
3 2025-11-29 — 5.35% —

Full EPSS history (16 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2016-1038

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
10.0 3.0 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 6.0 [email protected]
10.0 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
 10.0 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2016-1038

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2016-1038

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
adobe acrobat <= 11.0.15 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
adobe acrobat_dc <= 15.006.30121 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_dc:*:*:*:*:classic:*:*:*
adobe acrobat_dc <= 15.010.20060 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_dc:*:*:*:*:continuous:*:*:*
adobe acrobat_reader_dc <= 15.006.30121 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader_dc:*:*:*:*:classic:*:*:*
adobe acrobat_reader_dc <= 15.010.20060 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader_dc:*:*:*:*:continuous:*:*:*
adobe reader <= 11.0.15 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:reader:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2016-1038

cvelogic Threat Intelligence