Remote code execution in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader

Published: 2009-02-19 | Updated: 2016-12-16

Risk	Critical
Patch available	YES
Number of vulnerabilities	1
CVE-ID	CVE-2009-0658
CWE-ID	CWE-120
Exploitation vector	Network
Public exploit	This vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.
Vulnerable software Subscribe	Adobe Reader Client/Desktop applications / Office applications Adobe Acrobat Client/Desktop applications / Office applications
Vendor	Adobe

Security Bulletin

This security bulletin contains one critical risk vulnerability.

1) Buffer overflow

EUVDB-ID: #VU1343

Risk: Critical

CVSSv3.1: 8.9 [CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0658

CWE-ID: CWE-120 - Buffer overflow

Exploit availability: Yes

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system.

The weakness exists due to buffer overflow when parsing a malformed JBIG2 image stream. A remote attacker can create a specially crafted .pdf file, trick the victim into opening it, trigger memory corruption and execute arbitrary code on the target system with privileges of the current user.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability results in arbitrary code execution on the vulnerable system.

Note: the vulnerability was being actively exploited.

Mitigation

Vulnerable software versions

Adobe Reader: 7.0 - 9.1

Adobe Acrobat: 7.0 - 9.1

External links

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-04.html

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

How the attacker can exploit this vulnerability?

The attacker would have to trick the victim to visit a specially crafted website or open a file.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, a fully functional exploit for this vulnerability is available.