Hazard

Is CVE-2023-21608 being exploited?

Weaponised and widely attempted

Reliable public exploit code exists, or mass exploitation attempts are probable. Patch inside days, not weeks.

Adobe Acrobat and Reader Use-After-Free Vulnerability

Adobe · Acrobat and Reader

CVSS 7.8 EPSS 61% no public exploit indexed Fix deadline passed 31 October 2023

What it is

Adobe Acrobat and Reader contains a use-after-free vulnerability that allows for code execution in the context of the current user.

Why we say that

  • EPSS puts exploitation in the next 30 days at 61%
  • CISA's federal remediation deadline (2023-10-31) has passed
  • Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue

Every line above comes from a named public source. Where the evidence is thin, we say so rather than inventing confidence — see methodology.

What to do

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

What it costs when this goes wrong

This is where UK enforcement meets the vulnerability record. Where an unfixed vulnerability leads to a breach, the ICO treats it as a security failure under UK GDPR. Recent cases:

All UK cases caused by unpatched software →