Actively exploitedCVSS 8.8 · HIGH

CVE-2009-3459

Adobe Acrobat and Reader contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability which could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PDF file that triggers memory corruption.

View on NVD

Analysis

Adobe Acrobat and Reader contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability that allows remote code execution via a crafted PDF file. This vulnerability is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as having been used in active attacks.

Relevant roles

WindowsMacosLinuxCyberSecurity

Severity

Score: 8.8(HIGH)

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

AV: NETWORK

AC: LOW

PR: NONE

UI: REQUIRED

S: UNCHANGED

C: HIGH

I: HIGH

A: HIGH

Weakness (CWE): CWE-119CWE-122

CISA KEV

Added to KEV: 2026-05-20

Federal patch deadline: 2026-06-03

Known ransomware use: Unknown

Required action

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

EPSS

Probability of exploitation (next 30 days): 0.8807 (88.1%)

Percentile: 99.5%

EPSS: 2026-05-26

Affects

adobe:acrobatadobe:acrobat_reader

Technical description

Heap-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 execute arbitrary code via a crafted PDF file that triggers memory corruption, as exploited in the wild in October 2009. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.

Published: 10/13/2009, 10:30:00 AM

Last modified: 5/21/2026, 12:56:49 PM

References

How to read this card

Actively exploited

KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities) is CISA's catalog of CVEs confirmed as actively exploited in the real world. If a CVE is on KEV, someone is already using it in attacks.

CVSS 10.0

CVSS 10.0 — máxima severidad teórica. Explotable de forma remota, sin privilegios, con impacto total. Aún no confirmada como explotada en el mundo real, pero parchea ya.

AI-recommended

Un modelo de lenguaje revisó el CVE y consideró que afecta a software ampliamente desplegado o herramientas comunes de desarrollo. Un humano del equipo aprobó la publicación antes de que llegara aquí.

Categorías de impacto que evalúa la IA

widely_deployed_infra — kernel Linux, OpenSSL, glibc, k8s, Docker, nginx, OpenSSH.

popular_dev_tooling — Node.js, Python, Go, React, Next.js, librerías comunes de npm/pip.

common_consumer_software — Chrome, Firefox, Windows, macOS, apps móviles populares.

enterprise_saas — GitHub, GitLab, Atlassian, Salesforce, Cisco, Fortinet, Ivanti.

niche_software — CMS regionales, herramientas de hobby, librerías de poco uso.

not_relevant — firmware específico de proveedor, software descontinuado.

EPSS — EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) by FIRST.org estimates the probability that a CVE will be exploited in the next 30 days. Range is 0 to 1; very fresh CVEs typically score low until evidence accumulates.