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Vulnerability: APSA09-01. Buffer overflow issue in versions 9.0 and earlier of Adobe Reader and Acrobat
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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Vulnerability name/brief description | Buffer overflow issue in versions 9.0 and earlier of Adobe Reader and Acrobat. APSA09-01. |
| CVE/CAN name | CVE-2009-0658 |
| Vendor threat level | Critical |
| SophosLabs threat level | Critical |
| Solution | The vendor is working on a security update. As a workaround the users are advised to disable JavaScript in Acrobat Reader to prevent existing exploits from working as described in the SophosLabs blog entry. The scheduled release date for the vendor patch is 11 March 2009. |
| Vendor description | A critical vulnerability has been identified in Adobe Reader 9 and Acrobat 9 and earlier versions. This vulnerability would cause the application to crash and could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system. There are reports that this issue is being exploited. |
| SophosLabs comments | This is a serious vulnerability that will almost certainly be used to install malicious software in the background, without requiring the end user intervention.
|
| SophosLabs testing result | The results of internal testing in SophosLabs indicate that the vulnerability can be reliably exploited. |
| Currently known exploits | At the time of writing SophosLabs has seen few samples of PDF files exploiting this vulnerability. All known samples are detected by Sophos products as Mal/JsShell-B. |
| First sample seen | N/A |
| Discovery date | 19 February 2009 |
| Affected software | Adobe Reader 9 - all platforms |
| References | http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa09-01.html |
| Credits | |
| Revisions | 23 February 2009 - initial analysis written |
Explanation of terms
Vulnerability Name/Brief Description:
Vendor identifier plus a brief description of the type of attack.
CVE/CAN Name:
Currently assigned CVE name. If a CVE name doesn't exist the CAN name will be used until a CVE has been assigned.
Vendor Threat Level:
Threat level assigned by the vendor
SophosLabs Threat Level:
Threat level assigned by SophosLabs
- LOW RISK - There is little chance of this vulnerability being actively exploited by malware.
- MEDIUM RISK - There is a possibility of this vulnerability being actively exploited by malware.
- HIGH RISK - There is a strong possibility of this vulnerability being actively exploited by malware.
- CRITICAL RISK - This vulnerability will almost certainly be actively exploited by malware.
Solution:
Vendor-supplied Patch identifier and recommended solution, or workaround if applicable.
Vendor Description:
Summary of the cause and potential effect of the vulnerability provided by the vendor.
SophosLabs Comments:
SophosLabs' opinions and observations of the vulnerability in question.
SophosLabs Testing Result:
Details of completed lab testing, if applicable. Please note that the lab test environment may differ significantly from user environments.
Currently Known Exploits:
List of identities for known exploits, if applicable.
First Sample Seen:
Date of the first sample seen by SophosLabs.
Discovery Date:
Date of the earliest known publically disclosed advisory.
Affected Software:
Vulnerable platforms and software versions.
If you need more information or guidance, then please contact technical support.
- Article ID: 53308
- Created: 23 Feb 2009
- Last updated: 23 Feb 2009
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