CVE-2009-3459: Adobe Acrobat and Reader heap overflow in PDF parsing

CVE-2009-3459 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.3 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2026-05-20

Adobe Acrobat and Reader, widely used applications for viewing and managing PDF documents, are vulnerable to a critical security flaw. An attacker can exploit this by tricking a user into opening a specially crafted PDF file, which could lead to the attacker taking full control of the victim's computer. This vulnerability has been actively exploited in the wild to target users.

Technologies: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader. Vendors: Adobe.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2009-3459 exploited in the wild?
Yes. CVE-2009-3459 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 20 May 2026. Treat it as urgent.
How severe is CVE-2009-3459?
Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.3, published 20 May 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
Adobe Acrobat 7.x before 7.1.4, 8.x before 8.1.7, 9.x before 9.2; Adobe Reader 7.x before 7.1.4, 8.x before 8.1.7, 9.x before 9.2.
Is there a fix for CVE-2009-3459?
A patch was published on 2009-10-13: Patches released in APSB09-15 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2009-3459 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.
Am I affected by CVE-2009-3459?
Check whether you run Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

A heap-based buffer overflow exists in Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 7.x, 8.x, and 9.x. The vulnerability is triggered when the application processes a maliciously crafted PDF file, leading to memory corruption. This is a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability that requires no authentication, though it does require user interaction (opening the file). Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the logged-in user. This flaw was notably exploited in the wild starting in October 2009. Patches are available in versions 7.1.4, 8.1.7, and 9.2.

Affected products

  • Adobe Acrobat 7.x before 7.1.4, 8.x before 8.1.7, 9.x before 9.2
  • Adobe Reader 7.x before 7.1.4, 8.x before 8.1.7, 9.x before 9.2

Timeline

  • 2009-10-13: disclosed
  • 2009-10-13: advisory
  • 2009-10-13: patched: Patches released in APSB09-15
  • 2009-10-01: exploited: Exploitation in the wild reported in October 2009

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