How severe is CVE-2009-2979?

CVE-2009-2979 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2009-2979 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2009-2979?

CVE-2009-2979 primarily affects Adobe Acrobat. In total, 50 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2009-2979?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2009-2979 published?

CVE-2009-2979 was published on 2009-10-19 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2009-2979

CVE-2009-2979 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 4.3)
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (87th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Adobe Acrobat
Published: 2009-10-19
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.2, 8.x before 8.1.7, and possibly 7.x through 7.1.4 do not properly perform XMP-XML entity expansion, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a crafted document.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-2979?: Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.2, 8.x before 8.1.7, and possibly 7.x through 7.1.4 do not properly perform XMP-XML entity expansion, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a crafted document.
How severe is CVE-2009-2979?: CVE-2009-2979 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2009-2979 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2009-2979?: CVE-2009-2979 primarily affects Adobe Acrobat. In total, 50 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2009-2979?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2009-2979 published?: CVE-2009-2979 was published on 2009-10-19 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (50)

cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.0.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.0.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.0.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.0.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:7.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:8.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:8.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:8.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:8.1.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:8.1.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:9.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat:9.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.0.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.0.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.0.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.0.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:7.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:adobe:acrobat_reader:8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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