CVE-2009-4764
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAdobe Reader 8.x and 9.x on Windows is able to execute EXE files that are embedded in a PDF document, which makes it easier for remote attackers to trick users into executing arbitrary code via a crafted document.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAdobe Reader 8.x and 9.x on Windows contains a vulnerability that allows the PDF viewer to execute EXE files embedded within PDF documents, enabling remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution by tricking users into opening specially crafted PDF files.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 8.0= 8.1= 8.1.1= 8.1.2= 8.1.4= 8.1.5= 8.1.6= 8.1.7= 9.0= 9.1= 9.1.1= 9.1.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed Adobe Reader versionOpen Adobe Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader, or right-click on AcroRd32.exe in the installation directory and select Properties > Details to view the product versionAffected if The version displayed matches any of these: 8.0, 8.1, 8.1.1, 8.1.2, 8.1.4, 8.1.5, 8.1.6, 8.1.7, 9.0, 9.1, 9.1.1, or 9.1.2
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Verify Adobe Reader is present on the systemCheck for the presence of AcroRd32.exe or AdobeRdr.exe in common installation paths such as C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Reader X\Reader\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Reader X\Reader\Affected if Adobe Reader executable exists in the system and the version matches the affected list in step 1
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Confirm the application handles PDF documentsOpen any PDF file in Adobe Reader and verify the application successfully renders the document contentAffected if The affected version of Adobe Reader is installed and actively processing PDF files, allowing embedded executable content to potentially run
If Adobe Reader versions 8.0 through 8.1.7 or 9.0 through 9.1.2 are installed and used to open PDF documents, the system is vulnerable to arbitrary code execution via embedded EXE files in malicious PDFs.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpdate Adobe Reader to a patched version beyond 9.x, disable JavaScript execution in Adobe Reader preferences, and exercise caution when opening PDF documents from untrusted sources.
Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.4 or later (or current latest version)
- 1. Close Adobe Reader if it is currently open.
- 2. Navigate to the official Adobe website at https://get.adobe.com/reader/
- 3. Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader for Windows.
- 4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.
- 5. After installation, verify the version by opening Adobe Reader and checking Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- 6. Ensure the installed version is 9.x or later (e.g., Adobe Reader 9.4 or newer).
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-4764 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-4764 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data