CVE-2021-40728 | Adobe Acrobat Reader DC Use After Free Arbitrary Code Execution

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC version 21.007.20095 (and earlier), 21.007.20096 (and earlier), 20.004.30015 (and earlier), and 17.011.30202 (and earlier) is affected by a use-after-free vulnerability in the processing of the GetURL function on a global object window 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.

Published: 2021-10-15 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2021-40728 is rated Moderate Risk (60.4/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 45.46%, 98th 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-2021-40728

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 2026-05-03 50.75% 45.46% -5.29%
2 2026-03-02 12.12% 50.75% +38.64%
3 2025-11-21 — 12.12% —

Full EPSS history (37 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-40728

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
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:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
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.
 1.8 5.9 [email protected]
6.8 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 8.6 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-40728

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-40728

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
adobe acrobat_dc >= 15.008.20082, <= 21.007.20095 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_dc:*:*:*:*:continuous:*:*:*
adobe acrobat_reader_dc >= 15.008.20082, <= 21.007.20095 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader_dc:*:*:*:*:continuous:*:*:*
adobe acrobat_dc >= 15.008.20082, <= 21.007.20096 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_dc:*:*:*:*:continuous:*:*:*
adobe acrobat_reader_dc >= 15.008.20082, <= 21.007.20096 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader_dc:*:*:*:*:continuous:*:*:*
adobe acrobat >= 20.001.30005, <= 20.004.30015 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:*:*:*:*:classic:*:*:*
adobe acrobat_reader >= 20.001.30005, <= 20.004.30015 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:*:*:*:*:classic:*:*:*
adobe acrobat >= 17.011.30158, <= 17.011.30202 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:*:*:*:*:classic:*:*:*
adobe acrobat_reader >= 17.011.30158, <= 17.011.30202 cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:*:*:*:*:classic:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-40728

cvelogic Threat Intelligence