Adobe Acrobat Reader is widely deployed; arbitrary local file read can expose credentials and sensitive data across organizations via crafted PDFs.
CVE-2026-81994
Prototype pollution in Acrobat Reader allows arbitrary local file reads via malicious PDFs
Is CVE-2026-81994 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-81994 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.30% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-81994?
CVE-2026-81994 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.2. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-81994?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-81994. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-81994 affect?
CVE-2026-81994 affects Adobe Acrobat Reader (desktop). Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-81994?
Install Adobe update immediately; block/scan untrusted PDFs; warn users.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Attacker-crafted PDF opened by a user can read arbitrary local files, exposing credentials, configs, and sensitive data.
Immediate action required
- affected<= 24.001.30383
- affected<= 26.002.21900
- affected<= 26.002.21900
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.