CVE-2009-0927
CVE-2009-0927 is a security flaw in Adobe Reader and Acrobat, Adobe’s software for opening and editing PDFs. Attackers can run their own code on Adobe Reader and Acrobat. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 25 Mar 2022.[1]
Adobe Reader and Acrobat is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work.
Description
CISA calls it a reader and adobe acrobat stack-based buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Acrobat. In its words: “Stack-based buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “Stack-based buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat 9 before 9.1, 8 before 8.1.3 , and 7 before 7.1.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted argument to the getIcon method of a Collab object, a different vulnerability than CVE-2009-0658.”[2]
The underlying weakness is improper input validation (CWE-20), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 8.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it. CISA names the product as Adobe Reader and Acrobat.
Every device with Adobe Reader and Acrobat needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 25 Mar 2022, 4,754 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 15 Apr 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 97%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[3]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Update Adobe Reader and Acrobat now.Install the latest update from Adobe on every device that has it, and restart when asked. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 8.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 97%.[3] |
See also
Other Adobe Reader and Acrobat flaws
- CVE-2011-2462: universal 3D memory corruption ·
- CVE-2014-0546: sandbox bypass ·
- CVE-2013-2729: arbitrary integer overflow ·
- CVE-2014-0496: use-after-free ·
- CVE-2013-3346: memory corruption ·
- CVE-2013-0640: memory corruption ·
Other Adobe flaws
- CVE-2026-48356, Adobe Commerce and Magento: unrestricted upload of file with dangerous type ·
- CVE-2026-71362, Adobe Commerce and Magento: incorrect authorization ·
- CVE-2026-75650, Adobe Commerce and Magento: improper neutralization of special elements used in a template engine ·
- CVE-2026-48282, Adobe ColdFusion: path traversal ·
- CVE-2009-3459, Adobe Acrobat and Reader: heap-based buffer overflow ·
Other improper input validation flaws
- CVE-2026-93952, Arista VeloCloud Orchestrator: improper input validation ·
- CVE-2019-1068, Microsoft SQL Server: remote code execution ·
- CVE-2026-12569, PTC Windchill and FlexPLM: improper input validation ·
- CVE-2026-34910, Ubiquiti UniFi OS: improper input validation ·
- CVE-2026-6973, Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM): improper input validation ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2022-26318, WatchGuard Firebox and XTM Appliances: arbitrary code execution ·
- CVE-2022-26143, Mitel MiCollab, MiVoice Business Express: access control ·
- CVE-2022-21999, Microsoft Windows: print spooler privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2021-42237, Sitecore XP: remote command execution ·
- CVE-2021-22941, Citrix ShareFile: improper access control ·
Every Adobe flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in March 2022
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Stack-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 25 Mar 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2009-0927 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 19 Mar 2009.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.966, percentile 99.9, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2009-0927”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.