Stack consumption vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.1.3, 9.1.2, 9.1.1, and earlier 9.x versions; 8.1.6 and earlier 8.x versions; a
Stack consumption vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.1.3, 9.1.2, 9.1.1, and earlier 9.x versions; 8.1.6 and earlier 8.x versions; and possibly 7.1.4 and earlier 7.x versions allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a PDF file with a large number of [ (open square bracket) characters in the argument to the alert method. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
- Published
- Sep 25, 2009
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 21.6% · 98th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-119
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Report tools
Action score
26
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 20 / 40 · 5.0 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 6 / 30 · 21.6%
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; 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 helpAffected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| 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 acrobat7.0
- adobe acrobat7.0.1
- adobe acrobat7.0.2
- adobe acrobat7.0.3
- adobe acrobat7.0.4
- adobe acrobat7.0.5
- adobe acrobat7.0.6
- adobe acrobat7.0.7
- adobe acrobat7.0.8
- adobe acrobat7.0.9
- adobe acrobat7.1
- adobe acrobat7.1.0
- adobe acrobat7.1.1
- adobe acrobat8.0
- adobe acrobat8.1
- adobe acrobat8.1.1
- adobe acrobat8.1.2
- adobe acrobat8.1.3
- adobe acrobat8.1.4
- adobe acrobat9
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 0:8.1.7-1 | 0:8.1.7-1 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:3 | acroread-plugin | before 0:8.1.7-1 | 0:8.1.7-1 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:4 | acroread | before 0:8.1.7-1.el4 | 0:8.1.7-1.el4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:4 | acroread-plugin | before 0:8.1.7-1.el4 | 0:8.1.7-1.el4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:5::client | acroread | before 0:8.1.7-1.el5 | 0:8.1.7-1.el5 |
| Red Hat:rhel_extras:5::client | acroread-plugin | before 0:8.1.7-1.el5 | 0:8.1.7-1.el5 |
Same product
adobe: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2011-2462Unspecified vulnerability in the U3D component in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.1.1 and earlier on Windows and Mac OS X, and Adobe Reader 9.x KEV96Now
- CVE-2013-3346Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.5.5, 10.x before 10.1.7, and 11.x before 11.0.03 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a KEV93Now
- CVE-2021-21017Acrobat Reader DC Heap-based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability Could Lead To Arbitrary Code ExecutionKEV91Now
- CVE-2009-3459Heap-based buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 7.x before 7.1.4, 8.x before 8.1.7, and 9.x before 9.2 allows remote attackers to exeKEV91Now
- CVE-2008-2992Stack-based buffer overflow in Adobe Acrobat and Reader 8.1.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a PDF file tKEV91Now
- CVE-2009-3953The U3D implementation in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.3, 8.x before 8.2 on Windows and Mac OS X, and 7.x before 7.1.4 allows remotKEV90Now
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 | 0:8.1.7-1 · Red Hat:rhel_extras:3 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:acroread-plugin | 0:8.1.7-1 · Red Hat:rhel_extras:3 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
Proof of concept available
A public proof of concept or detection signature exists. Exploit knowledge is out there; don't delay patching.
Evidence
- Exploit-DB entry ×1
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit-DB entry | dos | 2009-05-29 |
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.
- First PoC-120 d
- Published
- TodayOct 11, 2026+6225 d
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
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- none
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- P · the service can be disrupted
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- P
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-119 · Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory BufferCVSS vector
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/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.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Buffer Overflow via Environment VariablesCAPEC-10likelihood: High · High
- Overflow BuffersCAPEC-100likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer ManipulationCAPEC-123likelihood: High · Very High
- Client-side Injection-induced Buffer OverflowCAPEC-14likelihood: Medium · High
- Filter Failure through Buffer OverflowCAPEC-24likelihood: High · High
- MIME ConversionCAPEC-42likelihood: High · High
- Overflow Binary Resource FileCAPEC-44likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer Overflow via Symbolic LinksCAPEC-45likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- securitytracker.com/id?1023007
- www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-15.html
- www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-286B.html
- www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/2898
- oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6532
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.