Adobe Security Bulletin
Security updates available for Adobe Acrobat and Reader | APSB18-40
Bulletin ID Date Published Priority
APSB18-40 November 13, 2018 1

Summary

Adobe has released security updates for Adobe Acrobat and Reader for Windows to resolve an important vulnerability.  Successful exploitation could lead to an inadvertent leak of the user’s hashed NTLM password. 

Proof-of-concept code for CVE-2018-15979 is publicly available.  

Affected Versions

Product Track Affected Versions Platform
Acrobat DC  Continuous
2019.008.20080 and earlier versions 
Windows 
Acrobat Reader DC Continuous
2019.008.20080 and earlier versions 
Windows
       
Acrobat 2017 Classic 2017 2017.011.30105 and earlier versions Windows
Acrobat Reader 2017 Classic 2017 2017.011.30105 and earlier versions Windows
       
Acrobat DC  Classic 2015 2015.006.30456 and earlier versions
Windows
Acrobat Reader DC  Classic 2015 2015.006.30456 and earlier versions
Windows

For questions regarding Acrobat DC, please visit the Acrobat DC FAQ page

For questions regarding Acrobat Reader DC, please visit the Acrobat Reader DC FAQ page.

Solution

Adobe recommends users update their software installations to the latest versions by following the instructions below.
The latest product versions are available to end users via one of the following methods:

  • Users can update their product installations manually by choosing Help > Check for Updates.
  • The products will update automatically, without requiring user intervention, when updates are detected.
  • The full Acrobat Reader installer can be downloaded from the Acrobat Reader Download Center.

For IT administrators (managed environments):

  • Download the enterprise installers from ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/, or refer to the specific release note version for links to installers.
  • Install updates via your preferred methodology, such as AIP-GPO, bootstrapper, SCUP/SCCM (Windows), or on macOS, Apple Remote Desktop and SSH.

Adobe categorizes these updates with the following priority ratings and recommends users update their installation to the newest version:

Product Track Updated Versions Platform Priority Rating Availability
Acrobat DC Continuous 2019.008.20081
Windows 1 Windows

Acrobat Reader DC Continuous 2019.008.20081
Windows 1 Windows

           
Acrobat 2017 Classic 2017 2017.011.30106 Windows 1 Windows

Acrobat Reader DC 2017 Classic 2017 2017.011.30106 Windows 1 Windows

           
Acrobat DC Classic 2015 2015.006.30457
Windows
1 Windows

Acrobat Reader DC Classic 2015 2015.006.30457 Windows 1 Windows

Vulnerability Details

Vulnerability Category Vulnerability Impact Severity CVE Number
NTLM SSO hash theft

Information Disclosure

Important

CVE-2018-15979

Note:

Please refer to this KB article for more information on mitigating CVE-2018-15979. 

Acknowledgements

Adobe would like to thank The EdgeSpot team (CVE-2018-15979) for reporting this issue and for working with Adobe to help protect our customers.