CVE-2009-3459
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…
- 8.8HighCVSS base score
- 86.5%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 0.3% of all CVEs
- YesKnown exploitedin CISA's KEV since 20 May 2026
- 4Public exploitsMetasploit, Nuclei and Exploit-DB
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.
Exploited in the wild
CISA lists this vulnerability in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as Adobe Acrobat and Reader Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability.
- Added
- 20 May 2026
- Fix due (US federal)
- 3 Jun 2026
- Used by ransomware
- Not known
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
ENISA's EU Vulnerability Database lists it as exploited, from CISA's KEV, since 20 May 2026.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. The public collections list 2 Metasploit modules and 2 Exploit-DB entries for it. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: it is being exploited.
Show the exploits4
Metasploit modules2 modules
- Adobe FlateDecode Stream Predictor 02 Integer Overflow (Metasploit module) (opens in a new tab)
exploit/windows/browser/adobe_flatedecode_predictor02Rank gooddisclosed 8 Oct 2009
- Adobe FlateDecode Stream Predictor 02 Integer Overflow (Metasploit module) (opens in a new tab)
exploit/windows/fileformat/adobe_flatedecode_predictor02Rank gooddisclosed 8 Oct 2009
Exploit-DB2 entries
- Adobe - FlateDecode Stream Predictor 02 Integer Overflow (Metasploit) (2) (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 16652local, windowspublished 25 Sept 2010Verified
- Adobe - FlateDecode Stream Predictor 02 Integer Overflow (Metasploit) (1) (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 16546local, windowspublished 20 Sept 2010Verified
Modules, templates and exploits as listed by the Metasploit Framework (BSD-3-Clause), ProjectDiscovery's Nuclei templates (MIT) and the Exploit Database (GPLv2), read once a day. Where the data comes from
Timeline
ID reserved
By adobe
- 14 days later
· 14 days later
Published
- 17 years later
· 17 years later
Added to CISA KEV
Known exploited in the wild
- 1 day later
· 1 day later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADPADP (enrichment) | 3.1 | High8.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | High8.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 86.5% · top 0.3% of all CVEs (11 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 8.8.
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References
References13
- 36983 (opens in a new tab)third-party-advisoryx_refsource_SECUNIAx_transferred
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:6534 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entrysignaturex_refsource_OVALx_transferred
- TA09-286B (opens in a new tab)third-party-advisoryx_refsource_CERTx_transferred
- 1023007 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_SECTRACKx_transferred
- http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-15.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- 20091009 Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader Remote Code Execution (opens in a new tab)third-party-advisoryx_refsource_ISSx_transferred
- ADV-2009-2851 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_VUPENx_transferred
- http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=7300 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt/2009/10/adobe_reader_and_acrobat_issue_1.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- 36600 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDx_transferred
- ADV-2009-2898 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_VUPENx_transferred
- adobe-reader-pdf-code-execution(53691) (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_XFx_transferred
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2009-3459 (opens in a new tab)government-resource
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- CISA KEV catalog (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2009-3441 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2009-3459)Record last updated .