# CVE-2010-2883: Adobe Acrobat and Reader Stack-Based Buffer Overflow

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code or crash the application via a malicious PDF document exploiting a stack-based buffer overflow in CoolType.dll.

- **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Yes, since 8 Jun 2022 (CISA KEV)
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Sep 2010
- **Updated:** 22 Oct 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-m6wc-h767-27c3

## What is CVE-2010-2883?

CVE-2010-2883 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat, published on 9 Sep 2010. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Stack-based buffer overflow in CoolType.dll in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.4, and 8.x before 8.2.5 on Windows and Mac OS X, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via a PDF document with a long field in a Smart INdependent Glyphlets (SING) table in a TTF font, as exploited in the wild in September 2010. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2010-2883?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Acrobat Reader.

## How do I fix CVE-2010-2883?

Upgrade to a fixed version. US federal agencies must fix it by 22 Jun 2022.

## Is CVE-2010-2883 being exploited?

Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2010-2883 in the wild since at least 8 Jun 2022.

Public exploit code:

- Playing with CVE-2010-2883 (github_poc): https://github.com/avielzecharia/CVE-2010-2883
- Adobe CoolType SING Table "uniqueName" Stack Buffer Overflow (metasploit)
- Adobe CoolType SING Table "uniqueName" Stack Buffer Overflow (metasploit)
- Adobe CoolType - SING Table 'uniqueName' Remote Stack Buffer Overflow (Metasploit) (1) (exploitdb)
- Adobe CoolType - SING Table 'uniqueName' Local Stack Buffer Overflow (Metasploit) (2) (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Adobe Acrobat

- [CVE-2021-28550](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28550/): Adobe Acrobat and Reader Use-After-Free (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-21017](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-21017/): Adobe Acrobat and Reader Heap-based Buffer Overflow (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2014-0546](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-0546/): Adobe Reader and Acrobat Sandbox Bypass (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2014-0496](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-0496/): Adobe Reader and Acrobat Use-After-Free (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-3346](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-3346/): Adobe Reader and Acrobat Memory Corruption (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2010-2883 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2010-2883 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat, published on 9 Sep 2010. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2010-2883 in the wild since at least 8 Jun 2022.

Affected product: Adobe Acrobat. 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-2010-2883/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-2883/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2010-2883
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2010-2883
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2010-2883

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-2883/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.