CVE-2009-2995 in Acrobat
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in Adobe Acrobat 7.x before 7.1.4, 8.x before 8.1.7, and 9.x before 9.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/14/2025
Adobe Acrobat reader and viewer applications contain a critical integer overflow vulnerability that affects multiple versions across different product lines. This flaw exists within the software's handling of numerical values during processing operations, where insufficient bounds checking allows maliciously crafted input to cause arithmetic overflow conditions. The vulnerability manifests when the application processes certain file formats or data structures that trigger integer overflows in memory allocation or buffer handling routines. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specially formatted documents or data inputs that, when processed by the vulnerable software, cause the integer variables to exceed their maximum representable values, leading to unpredictable behavior and system instability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with common software security weaknesses documented under CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow conditions. When integer overflow occurs in memory management operations, it can result in buffer overflows, memory corruption, or other exploitable conditions that may lead to denial of service attacks. The vulnerability affects Adobe Acrobat versions 7.x prior to 7.1.4, 8.x prior to 8.1.7, and 9.x prior to 9.2, indicating this was a widespread issue affecting the application's core processing engines. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple attack surfaces within the software could potentially be exploited, including document parsing, image processing, or other data handling components that rely on integer arithmetic for memory allocation or loop control.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations that depend on Adobe Acrobat for document processing and viewing. The denial of service impact means that legitimate users may experience application crashes, system instability, or complete application failure when processing certain documents. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to disrupt business operations by sending malicious documents to target systems, causing widespread service interruptions. The vulnerability's potential for exploitation extends beyond simple denial of service, as integer overflows can sometimes lead to more serious security implications depending on how the affected software handles memory management and error conditions. Organizations with extensive document processing workflows or those relying on automated document handling systems face heightened risk from this vulnerability.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2009-2995 primarily involves immediate application of Adobe's security patches and updates released for the affected versions. System administrators should prioritize deployment of Adobe Acrobat updates 7.1.4, 8.1.7, and 9.2 across all affected systems. Additionally, organizations should implement network-based controls such as content filtering and document validation to prevent potentially malicious files from reaching end-user systems. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual application behavior or frequent crashes that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of regular software patch management and proper input validation in preventing exploitation of integer overflow conditions. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies and restricting user privileges when processing untrusted documents to minimize potential impact from successful exploitation attempts.