CVE-2026-81989: Acrobat Reader | Use After Free (CWE-416)

Q: What does an attacker need to exploit this vulnerability?

The attacker must persuade a victim to open a malicious file. No attacker privileges are required, but exploitation requires local attack vector access and user interaction.

Q: What access could successful exploitation give an attacker?

Successful exploitation could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The vulnerability is rated high severity with impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Published Sep 8, 2026

Updated

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.

Affected Software

6 affected components

Acrobat Reader

All of the following

Any of the following

Adobe Acrobat>=24.001.20604<24.001.30429

Adobe Acrobat DC>=15.008.20082<26.002.21901

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC>=15.008.20082<26.002.21901

Any of the following

Apple macOS

Microsoft Windows

Event History

Sep 8, 2026

CVE Published

via MITRE·08:31 PM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·08:31 PM

DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Data Sourced

via NVD·09:18 PM

DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an attacker need to exploit this vulnerability?

The attacker must persuade a victim to open a malicious file. No attacker privileges are required, but exploitation requires local attack vector access and user interaction.

What access could successful exploitation give an attacker?