Cyber Resilience

CVE-2009-3953

Memory Safety in Adobe Acrobat 7.0 – 7.1.4

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedPublic PoCMemory Safety
Published
13 January 2010
Modified
21 April 2026
KEV Added
08 June 2022
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.84 99.7th percentile
Risk Priority 90 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2009-3953 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 0.3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

The vulnerability is an array boundary issue, tracked as CWE-787, in the U3D implementation of Adobe Reader and Acrobat. It affects versions 9.x before 9.3, 8.x before 8.2 on Windows and Mac OS X, and 7.x before 7.1.4, and is distinct from CVE-2009-2994. Malformed U3D data supplied inside a PDF document can trigger the flaw.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the issue by delivering a crafted PDF to a target user. If the recipient opens the document in an affected reader, the attacker may achieve arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the current user, corresponding to a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8.

Adobe security bulletin APSB10-02 and related vendor advisories from Secunia and OpenSUSE direct administrators to apply the vendor-supplied patches that update Reader and Acrobat to the fixed releases. Organizations should prioritize these updates on all Windows and Mac OS X installations to eliminate the affected code paths.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

The U3D implementation in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.3, 8.x before 8.2 on Windows and Mac OS X, and 7.x before 7.1.4 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via malformed U3D data in a PDF document, related…

more

to a CLODProgressiveMeshDeclaration "array boundary issue," a different vulnerability than CVE-2009-2994.

CWE(s)
CWE-787
KEV Date Added
08 June 2022

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
attack.mitre.org →
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1211 Exploitation for Stealth Stealth
Adversaries may exploit vulnerabilities to evade detection by hiding activity, suppressing logging, or operating within trusted or unmonitored components.
attack.mitre.org →
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2010-1297Same product: Adobe Acrobatboth on KEV
CVE-2013-0640Same product: Adobe Acrobatboth on KEV
CVE-2011-2462Same product: Adobe Acrobatboth on KEV
CVE-2010-2883Same product: Adobe Acrobatboth on KEV
CVE-2023-26369Same product: Adobe Acrobatboth on KEV
CVE-2015-3043Same product: Apple Mac Os Xboth on KEV
CVE-2012-0754Same product: Apple Mac Os Xboth on KEV
CVE-2021-21017Same product: Adobe Acrobatboth on KEV
CVE-2015-3113Same product: Apple Mac Os Xboth on KEV
CVE-2013-3346Same product: Adobe Acrobatboth on KEV

Affected Assets

adobe
acrobat
7.0 — 7.1.4 · 8.0 — 8.2 · 9.0 — 9.3
suse
linux enterprise debuginfo
11
opensuse
opensuse
11.1, 11.2
suse
linux enterprise
10.0

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

SI-16 Memory Protection
addresses: CWE-787

Out-of-bounds writes that corrupt control flow or inject shellcode are rendered non-executable by the same memory protections.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure-development practices (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect and prevent out-of-bounds write defects.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates practices that prevent out-of-bounds writes.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory handling.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles reduce the likelihood of buffer overflows.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding directly addresses out-of-bounds writes through language choice and coding standards.

A.8.32 Change management partial match
prevents

Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.

References