Untrusted search path vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.1.2 and earlier on Unix and Linux allows attackers to gain privileges via
Untrusted search path vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.1.2 and earlier on Unix and Linux allows attackers to gain privileges via a Trojan Horse program in an unspecified directory that is associated with an insecure RPATH.
- Published
- Nov 5, 2008
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 7.8% · 94th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-264
Sign in to follow · You’ll be notified if a followed record enters KEV, gets an exploit or is updated.
Report tools
Action score
32
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 2 / 30 · 7.8%
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| unix | unix | cpe:2.3:o:unix:unix |
| adobe | acrobat | cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat |
| adobe | acrobat reader | cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- adobe acrobatup to 8.1.2 inclusive
- adobe acrobat8.1.1
- adobe acrobat readerup to 8.0 inclusive
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:3 | acroread | before 0:8.1.3-1 | 0:8.1.3-1 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:3 | acroread-plugin | before 0:8.1.3-1 | 0:8.1.3-1 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:4 | acroread | before 0:8.1.3-1.el4 | 0:8.1.3-1.el4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:4 | acroread-plugin | before 0:8.1.3-1.el4 | 0:8.1.3-1.el4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:5::client | acroread | before 0:8.1.3-1.el5 | 0:8.1.3-1.el5 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:5::client | acroread-plugin | before 0:8.1.3-1.el5 | 0:8.1.3-1.el5 |
Same product
unix: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2009-1251Heap-based buffer overflow in the cache manager in the client in OpenAFS 1.0 through 1.4.8 and 1.5.0 through 1.5.58 on Unix platforms allows42Plan
- CVE-2007-3073Directory traversal vulnerability in Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.4 and earlier on Mac OS X and Unix allows remote attackers to read arbitrary file32Monitor
- CVE-2009-2166Absolute path traversal vulnerability in cvs.php in OCS Inventory NG before 1.02.1 on Unix allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files v21Monitor
- CVE-1999-0377Process table attack in Unix systems allows a remote attacker to perform a denial of service by filling a machine's process tables through m21Monitor
- CVE-2008-0525PatchLink Update client for Unix, as used by Novell ZENworks Patch Management Update Agent for Linux/Unix/Mac (LUM) 6.2094 through 6.4102 an18Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| red hat:acroread | 0:8.1.3-1 · Red Hat:rhel_extras:3 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:acroread-plugin | 0:8.1.3-1 · Red Hat:rhel_extras:3 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- P · data can be read
- Integrity
- P · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- P · the service can be disrupted
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Confidentiality impact
- P
- Integrity impact
- P
- Availability impact
- P
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-264 · Permissions, Privileges, and Access ControlsCVSS vector
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- download.oracle.com/sunalerts/1019937.1.html
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-11/msg00002.html
- secunia.com/advisories/32700
- secunia.com/advisories/32872
- www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb08-19.html
- www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0974.html
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/32100
- www.securitytracker.com/id?1021140
- www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA08-309A.html
- www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/3001
- www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/0098
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=469882
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/46335
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.