Description
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.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 5 | acroread +1 | 8.1.3-1.el5 | RHSA-2008:0974 |
| RHEL 4 | acroread +1 | 8.1.3-1.el4 | RHSA-2008:0974 |
| RHEL 3 | acroread +1 | 8.1.3-1 | RHSA-2008:0974 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Metasploit 2 modules
-
Adobe Collab.getIcon() Buffer Overflow
exploit/windows/browser/adobe_geticon
-
Adobe Collab.getIcon() Buffer Overflow
exploit/windows/fileformat/adobe_geticon
Exploit-DB 4
- Adobe - 'Collab.getIcon()' Local Buffer Overflow (Metasploit) (2) EDB-16681 · local · Sep 25, 2010 · verified
- Adobe - 'Collab.getIcon()' Local Buffer Overflow (Metasploit) (1) EDB-16606 · local · Apr 30, 2010 · verified
- Adobe Acrobat/Reader < 7.1.1/8.1.3/9.1 - Collab getIcon Universal EDB-9579 · local · Sep 3, 2009 · verified
- Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1.2 < 9.0 - 'getIcon()' Memory Corruption EDB-8595 · local · May 4, 2009 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 1
- RHSA-2008:0974 Red Hat Security Advisory: acroread security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 29, 2026
References
- http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-09-014
- 9579 exploit
- 34169 vdb-entry
- 34790 third-party-advisory
- http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-04.html
- 1021861 vdb-entry
- ADV-2009-0770 vdb-entry
- 34490 third-party-advisory
- SUSE-SA:2009:014 vendor-advisory
- 20090324 ZDI-09-014: Adobe Acrobat getIcon() Stack Overflow Vulnerability mailing-list
- 34706 third-party-advisory
- 256788 vendor-advisory
- GLSA-200904-17 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SR:2009:009 vendor-advisory
- ADV-2009-1019 vdb-entry
- adobe-unspecified-javascript-code-execution(49312) vdb-entry