What is CVE-2009-3459?

CVE-2009-3459 is a high-severity vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat, classified under Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer. CVSS score: 8.8/10. Published 2009-10-13.

How severe is CVE-2009-3459?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.8 out of 10.

Is CVE-2009-3459 known to be exploited?

Yes. CVE-2009-3459 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2026-05-20), indicating it is being actively exploited. 4 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.

Buffer overflow in Adobe Acrobat

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 execute arbitrary code via a crafted PDF file that triggers memory corruption, as exploited in the wil…

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

EPSS: 0.881 (99.5th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 8.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Adobe Acrobat — versions 3.0, 3.1, 4.0
Adobe Acrobat_reader
Adobe Reader — versions 3.0, 4.0, 4.0.5
N/a — versions n/a

Weakness classification (CWE)

CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on 2026-05-20. CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.

BOD 22-01 due date: 2026-06-03.

Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

psirt@adobe.com (x_refsource_SECUNIA, Vendor Advisory, third-party-advisory)
psirt@adobe.com (Broken Link, x_refsource_OVAL, signature, vdb-entry)
psirt@adobe.com (US Government Resource, x_refsource_CERT, third-party-advisory)
psirt@adobe.com (vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken Link)
psirt@adobe.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Patch, Vendor Advisory)
psirt@adobe.com (x_refsource_ISS, Broken Link, third-party-advisory)
psirt@adobe.com (vdb-entry, x_refsource_VUPEN, Vendor Advisory)
psirt@adobe.com (x_refsource_MISC, Not Applicable)
psirt@adobe.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Broken Link, Vendor Advisory)
psirt@adobe.com (vdb-entry, Broken Link, x_refsource_BID)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-3459?: CVE-2009-3459 is a high-severity vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat, classified under Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer. CVSS score: 8.8/10. Published 2009-10-13.
How severe is CVE-2009-3459?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2009-3459 known to be exploited?: Yes. CVE-2009-3459 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2026-05-20), indicating it is being actively exploited. 4 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.