# CVE-2008-2549: Memory corruption in n/a

> Remote attackers can cause application crashes or execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening a malformed PDF document in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 4 Jun 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-6h86-qrjc-gvq6

## What is CVE-2008-2549?

CVE-2008-2549 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader, published on 4 Jun 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1.2 and earlier, and before 7.1.1, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a malformed PDF document, as demonstrated by 2008-HI2.pdf.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-2549?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Adobe Acrobat Reader.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-2549?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2008-2549 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2008-2549 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1.2 - '.PDF' Remote Denial of Service (PoC) (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Adobe Acrobat Reader

- [CVE-2009-0927](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-0927/): Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Stack-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2014-0511](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-0511/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2014-0512](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-0512/): Security feature bypass in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2004-1152](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-1152/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2004-1153](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-1153/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-2549 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-2549 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader, published on 4 Jun 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2008-2549 exists.

Affected product: Adobe Acrobat Reader. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-2549/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-2549/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-2549
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-2549
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-2549

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-2549/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.