CVE-2009-4324: Use-after-free vulnerability in the Doc.media.newPlayer method in Multimedia.api in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.3, and 8.x before 8.2 on Win...

Description

Use-after-free vulnerability in the Doc.media.newPlayer method in Multimedia.api in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.3, and 8.x before 8.2 on Windows and Mac OS X, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PDF file using ZLib compressed streams, as exploited in the wild in December 2009.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

81.86%

99.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Exploitation Status

This vulnerability is listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. Federal agencies must remediate by Jun 22, 2022.

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Adobe	Acrobat	>= 8.0, < 8.2	—
Adobe	Acrobat	>= 9.0, < 9.3	—
Adobe	Acrobat Reader	>= 8.0, < 8.2	—
Adobe	Acrobat Reader	>= 9.0, < 9.3	—
Suse	Linux Enterprise Debuginfo	11	—
Opensuse	Opensuse	11.1	—
Opensuse	Opensuse	11.2	—
Suse	Linux Enterprise	10.0	Sp2

References

http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt/2009/12/new_adobe_reader_and_acrobat_v.htmlBroken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://contagiodump.blogspot.com/2009/12/virustotal-httpwww.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-01/msg00009.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://osvdb.org/60980Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/37690Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/38138Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/38215Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa09-07.htmlVendor Advisory
http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-02.htmlNot Applicable
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/508357Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
http://www.metasploit.com/redmine/projects/framework/repository/revisions/7881/entry/modules/exploits/windows/fileformat/adobe_media_newplayer.rbBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2010-0060.htmlBroken Link
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/37331Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.shadowserver.org/wiki/pmwiki.php/Calendar/20091214Broken Link
http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/zero-day-xmas-presentBroken Link
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-013A.htmlThird Party Advisory, US Government Resource
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/3518Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/0103Broken Link
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=547799Issue Tracking
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/54747Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6795Broken Link
http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt/2009/12/new_adobe_reader_and_acrobat_v.htmlBroken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://contagiodump.blogspot.com/2009/12/virustotal-httpwww.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-01/msg00009.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://osvdb.org/60980Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/37690Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/38138Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/38215Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa09-07.htmlVendor Advisory
http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-02.htmlNot Applicable
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/508357Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
http://www.metasploit.com/redmine/projects/framework/repository/revisions/7881/entry/modules/exploits/windows/fileformat/adobe_media_newplayer.rbBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2010-0060.htmlBroken Link
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/37331Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.shadowserver.org/wiki/pmwiki.php/Calendar/20091214Broken Link
http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/zero-day-xmas-presentBroken Link
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-013A.htmlThird Party Advisory, US Government Resource
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/3518Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/0103Broken Link
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=547799Issue Tracking
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/54747Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6795Broken Link
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2009-4324US Government Resource

Timeline

Published: Dec 15, 2009
Last Modified: Jun 16, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2009-4324?

Use-after-free vulnerability in the Doc.media.newPlayer method in Multimedia.api in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.3, and 8.x before 8.2 on Windows and Mac OS X, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PDF file using ZLib compressed streams, as exploited in the wild in December 2009.

How severe is CVE-2009-4324?

CVE-2009-4324 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 81.86% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

How do I fix CVE-2009-4324?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

How Strix Helps

Related CVEs from 2009

View all 2009CVEs →