How severe is CVE-2021-21017?

CVE-2021-21017 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-21017?

Affected package information for CVE-2021-21017 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2021-21017?

No fixed version has been published for CVE-2021-21017 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates, apply mitigations recommended by the vendor, and use O3 Security to track when a fix becomes available in your stack.

Is CVE-2021-21017 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 4 known exploit references for CVE-2021-21017, including 3 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2021-21017?

CVE-2021-21017 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 90.2%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Is CVE-2021-21017 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2021-21017 (Adobe Acrobat and Reader Heap-based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2021-11-03. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2021-11-17. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2021-21017?

CVE-2021-21017 is classified as CWE-122 (CWE-122), Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787). These weakness types describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2021-21017?

CVE-2021-21017 affects adobe acrobat; adobe acrobat dc; adobe acrobat reader; adobe acrobat reader dc. Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

When was CVE-2021-21017 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2021-21017 was published on February 11, 2021 and was last updated on October 23, 2025. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CISA KEV·Added 2021-11-03 — agencies required to remediate by 2021-11-17

CVE-2021-21017

HIGH

Acrobat Reader DC versions versions 2020.013.20074 (and earlier), 2020.001.30018 (and earlier) and 2017.011.30188 (and earlier) are affected by a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability.…

Published

Feb 11, 2021

Updated

Oct 23, 2025

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

4 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

90.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk100th percentile0.00%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

Description

Acrobat Reader DC versions versions 2020.013.20074 (and earlier), 2020.001.30018 (and earlier) and 2017.011.30188 (and earlier) are affected by a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to achieve 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 Products

4 products · 6 configurations

Application

acrobatadobe

≥ 20.0 && ≤ 20.001.30018

range

Application

acrobat dcadobe

≤ 20.013.20074

range

Application

acrobat readeradobe

≥ 20.0 && ≤ 20.001.300183

range

Application

acrobat reader dcadobe

≤ 20.013.20074

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

Acrobat Reader DC versions versions 2020.013.20074 (and earlier), 2020.0…

helpx.adobe.comGoogle-sheetFeb 2021

Acrobat Reader DC versions versions 2020.013.20074 (and earlier), 2020.0…

github.comGithubFeb 2021

Acrobat Reader DC versions versions 2020.013.20074 (and earlier), 2020.0…

cisa.govCISANov 2021

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2021-21017 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2021-21017 across dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

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