CVE-2009-3459
Adobe — Adobe Acrobat and Reader Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
Adobe · CWE-119 | CWE-122 · in CISA KEV since 2026-05-20
EVRS 85 of 100 Immediate
Patch Immediately
Rank 411 of 2,960 tracked
Why it scores 85
Evidence available: 6 of 7 signalsListed in the CISA KEV catalog, and an EPSS probability of 0.866.
- CISA KEVApplied
- RansomwareDid not apply
- Vendor exploitationDid not apply
- EPSSApplied
- Microsoft Exploitability IndexNot applicable
- Pre-patch disclosureNo data
- KEV recencyDid not apply
- CVSSApplied
The band answers “how soon”, not “how bad”. No data for: Pre-patch disclosure. Why some signals show no data
Fix
Patch or fixed version identifiedCISA required action
- www.cisa.gov/…/adobe-reader-and-acrobat-vulnerabilities
- web.archive.org/…/apsb09-15.html#:~:text=CVE%2D2009%2D3459).-,NOTE%3A,-There%20are%20reports
- nvd.nist.gov/…/CVE-2009-3459
Fixed in
acrobat: update to 7.1.4 or later | acrobat: update to 8.1.7 or later | acrobat: update to 9.2 or later | acrobat reader: update to 7.1.4 or later | acrobat reader: update to 8.1.7 or later | acrobat reader: update to 9.2 or later
Affected versions
- acrobat
>= 7.0 < 7.1.4>= 8.0 < 8.1.7>= 9.0 < 9.2 - acrobat reader
>= 7.0 < 7.1.4>= 8.0 < 8.1.7>= 9.0 < 9.2
Remediation
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Fixed versions from NVD.
Evidence
Each value with its source| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CVSS base scoreHow severe the flaw is in itself. It does not say how likely an attack is. | 8.8 | NVD |
| FIRST EPSSFIRST's estimate of the chance this is exploited in the next 30 days, and how that ranks against all CVEs. | 0.866 (99.74th pctl) | FIRST EPSS |
| Actively exploitedWhether a source of record has confirmed attacks using it in the wild. | Confirmed | CISA KEV |
| Ransomware campaign useWhether CISA has seen ransomware operators use it. | Unknown or none | CISA KEV |
| CISA remediation deadlineThe date US federal agencies must have fixed or mitigated it. | 2026-06-03 · CISA federal deadline · Overdue by 5 months | CISA KEV |
| Public exploit moduleA module existing is not the same as active exploitation. | Public module exists | Metasploit |
| EUVD cross-referenceENISA's record: CVSS 8.8 (v3.1), assigned by adobe. | Listed | ENISA EUVD |
Description
NVDHeap-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.
What CISA says to do
- www.cisa.gov/…/adobe-reader-and-acrobat-vulnerabilities
- web.archive.org/…/apsb09-15.html#:~:text=CVE%2D2009%2D3459).-,NOTE%3A,-There%20are%20reports
- nvd.nist.gov/…/CVE-2009-3459
Public module
Metasploit lists the best-ranked (good) of 2 public modules for this CVE: Adobe FlateDecode Stream Predictor 02 Integer Overflow (windows/browser/adobe_flatedecode_predictor02). A module existing is not the same as active exploitation; see metasploit.com.