Vulnerabilities > CVE-2008-2992 - Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability in multiple products

CVSS 7.8 - HIGH

Attack vector

LOCAL

Attack complexity

LOW

Privileges required

NONE

Confidentiality impact

HIGH

Integrity impact

HIGH

Availability impact

HIGH

local

low complexity

nessus

exploit available

metasploit

NVD

Published: 2008-11-04

Updated: 2024-12-19

Summary

Stack-based buffer overflow in Adobe Acrobat and Reader 8.1.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a PDF file that calls the util.printf JavaScript function with a crafted format string argument, a related issue to CVE-2008-1104.

Vulnerable Configurations

Part	Description	Count
Application	Adobe Adobe Acrobat Reader - Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.01 Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.02 Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0.5 Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0.5A Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0.5C Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.5 Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0.5 Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0.6 Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0.7 Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0.9 Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0.10 Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0.11 Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.1 Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0.1 Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0.2 Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0.3 Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0.4 Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0.5 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.1 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.2 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.3 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.4 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.5 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.6 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.7 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.8 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.9 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.1.0 Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.1.1 Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0 Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1 Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1.1 Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1.2 Adobe Acrobat - Adobe Acrobat 1.0 Adobe Acrobat 2.0 Adobe Acrobat 3.0 Adobe Acrobat 3.1 Adobe Acrobat 4.0 Adobe Acrobat 4.0.5 Adobe Acrobat 4.0.5A Adobe Acrobat 4.0.5C Adobe Acrobat 5.0 Adobe Acrobat 5.0.5 Adobe Acrobat 5.0.6 Adobe Acrobat 5.0.10 Adobe Acrobat 5.1 Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Adobe Acrobat 6.0.1 Adobe Acrobat 6.0.2 Adobe Acrobat 6.0.3 Adobe Acrobat 6.0.4 Adobe Acrobat 6.0.5 Adobe Acrobat 6.0.6 Adobe Acrobat 7 Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Adobe Acrobat 7.0.1 Adobe Acrobat 7.0.2 Adobe Acrobat 7.0.3 Adobe Acrobat 7.0.4 Adobe Acrobat 7.0.5 Adobe Acrobat 7.0.6 Adobe Acrobat 7.0.7 Adobe Acrobat 7.0.8 Adobe Acrobat 7.0.9 Adobe Acrobat 7.1.0 Adobe Acrobat 7.1.1 Adobe Acrobat 7.1.2 Adobe Acrobat 7.1.3 Adobe Acrobat 7.1.4 Adobe Acrobat 8 Adobe Acrobat 8.0 Adobe Acrobat 8.0.0 Adobe Acrobat 8.1 Adobe Acrobat 8.1.1 Adobe Acrobat _Reader9.5.3	93
OS	Oracle Oracle Solaris 10	1

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)

CWE-787 - Out-of-bounds Write

Exploit-Db

description	Adobe util.printf() Buffer Overflow. CVE-2008-2992. Local exploit for windows platform
id	EDB-ID:16504
last seen	2016-02-02
modified	2010-05-03
published	2010-05-03
reporter	metasploit
source	https://www.exploit-db.com/download/16504/
title	Adobe util.printf Buffer Overflow

description	Adobe Reader util.printf() JavaScript Function Stack Overflow Exploit #2. CVE-2008-2992. Local exploit for windows platform
file	exploits/windows/local/7006.txt
id	EDB-ID:7006
last seen	2016-02-01
modified	2008-11-05
platform	windows
port
published	2008-11-05
reporter	Debasis Mohanty
source	https://www.exploit-db.com/download/7006/
title	Adobe Reader - util.printf JavaScript Function Stack Overflow Exploit 2
type	local

description	Adobe Reader util.printf() JavaScript Function Stack Overflow Exploit. CVE-2008-2992. Local exploit for windows platform
file	exploits/windows/local/6994.txt
id	EDB-ID:6994
last seen	2016-02-01
modified	2008-11-05
platform	windows
port
published	2008-11-05
reporter	Elazar
source	https://www.exploit-db.com/download/6994/
title	Adobe Reader - util.printf JavaScript Function Stack Overflow Exploit
type	local

description	Adobe util.printf() Buffer Overflow. CVE-2008-2992. Local exploit for windows platform
id	EDB-ID:16624
last seen	2016-02-02
modified	2010-09-25
published	2010-09-25
reporter	metasploit
source	https://www.exploit-db.com/download/16624/
title	Adobe util.printf Buffer Overflow 2

Metasploit

description	This module exploits a buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Professional < 8.1.3. By creating a specially crafted pdf that a contains malformed util.printf() entry, an attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code.
id	MSF:EXPLOIT/WINDOWS/BROWSER/ADOBE_UTILPRINTF
last seen	2020-03-23
modified	2017-10-05
published	2008-12-15
references	https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2008-2992
reporter	Rapid7
source	https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master//modules/exploits/windows/browser/adobe_utilprintf.rb
title	Adobe util.printf() Buffer Overflow

description	This module exploits a buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Professional < 8.1.3. By creating a specially crafted pdf that a contains malformed util.printf() entry, an attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code.
id	MSF:EXPLOIT/WINDOWS/FILEFORMAT/ADOBE_UTILPRINTF
last seen	2020-06-12
modified	2020-01-15
published	2008-12-03
references	https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2008-2992
reporter	Rapid7
source	https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master//modules/exploits/windows/fileformat/adobe_utilprintf.rb
title	Adobe util.printf() Buffer Overflow

Nessus

NASL family	Red Hat Local Security Checks
NASL id	REDHAT-RHSA-2008-0974.NASL
description	Updated acroread packages that fix various security issues are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 Extras, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Extras, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Supplementary. This update has been rated as having critical security impact by the Red Hat Security Response Team. Adobe Reader allows users to view and print documents in Portable Document Format (PDF). Several input validation flaws were discovered in Adobe Reader. A malicious PDF file could cause Adobe Reader to crash or, potentially, execute arbitrary code as the user running Adobe Reader. (CVE-2008-2549, CVE-2008-2992, CVE-2008-4812, CVE-2008-4813, CVE-2008-4814, CVE-2008-4817) The Adobe Reader binary had an insecure relative RPATH (runtime library search path) set in the ELF (Executable and Linking Format) header. A local attacker able to convince another user to run Adobe Reader in an attacker-controlled directory could run arbitrary code with the privileges of the victim. (CVE-2008-4815) All acroread users are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, that contain Adobe Reader version 8.1.3, and are not vulnerable to these issues.
last seen	2020-06-01
modified	2020-06-02
plugin id	40730
published	2009-08-24
reporter	This script is Copyright (C) 2009-2019 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.
source	https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/40730
title	RHEL 3 / 4 / 5 : acroread (RHSA-2008:0974)

NASL family	SuSE Local Security Checks
NASL id	SUSE_ACROREAD-5746.NASL
description	The acroread package was update to fix several security vulnerabilities in the JavaScript engine. (CVE-2008-2992 / CVE-2008-2549 / CVE-2008-4812 / CVE-2008-4813 / CVE-2008-4817 / CVE-2008-4816 / CVE-2008-4814 / CVE-2008-4815)
last seen	2020-06-01
modified	2020-06-02
plugin id	34942
published	2008-11-24
reporter	This script is Copyright (C) 2008-2019 Tenable Network Security, Inc.
source	https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/34942
title	SuSE 10 Security Update : Acrobat Reader (ZYPP Patch Number 5746)

NASL family	SuSE Local Security Checks
NASL id	SUSE_11_0_ACROREAD-081107.NASL
description	The acroread package was update to fix several security vulnerabilities in the JavaScript engine. (CVE-2008-2992, CVE-2008-2549, CVE-2008-4812, CVE-2008-4813, CVE-2008-4817, CVE-2008-4816, CVE-2008-4814, CVE-2008-4815)
last seen	2020-06-01
modified	2020-06-02
plugin id	39905
published	2009-07-21
reporter	This script is Copyright (C) 2009-2019 Tenable Network Security, Inc.
source	https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/39905
title	openSUSE Security Update : acroread (acroread-295)

NASL family	Windows
NASL id	ADOBE_ACROBAT_813.NASL
description	The version of Adobe Acrobat installed on the remote host is earlier than 9.0 / 8.1.3. Such versions are reportedly affected by multiple vulnerabilities : - There is a published denial of service issue. (CVE-2008-2549) - A stack-based buffer overflow when parsing format strings containing a floating point specifier in the
last seen	2020-06-01
modified	2020-06-02
plugin id	40802
published	2009-08-28
reporter	This script is Copyright (C) 2009-2018 Tenable Network Security, Inc.
source	https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/40802
title	Adobe Acrobat < 8.1.3 Multiple Vulnerabilities

NASL family	Windows
NASL id	ADOBE_READER_813.NASL
description	The version of Adobe Reader installed on the remote host is earlier than 8.1.3. Such versions are reportedly affected by multiple vulnerabilities : - There is a publicly-published denial of service issue (CVE-2008-2549). - A stack-based buffer overflow when parsing format strings containing a floating point specifier in the
last seen	2020-06-01
modified	2020-06-02
plugin id	34695
published	2008-11-04
reporter	This script is Copyright (C) 2008-2018 Tenable Network Security, Inc.
source	https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/34695
title	Adobe Reader < 8.1.3 / 9.0 Multiple Vulnerabilities

NASL family	SuSE Local Security Checks
NASL id	SUSE_ACROREAD-5749.NASL
description	The acroread package was update to fix several security vulnerabilities in the JavaScript engine. (CVE-2008-2992, CVE-2008-2549, CVE-2008-4812, CVE-2008-4813, CVE-2008-4817, CVE-2008-4816, CVE-2008-4814, CVE-2008-4815)
last seen	2020-06-01
modified	2020-06-02
plugin id	34943
published	2008-11-24
reporter	This script is Copyright (C) 2008-2019 Tenable Network Security, Inc.
source	https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/34943
title	openSUSE 10 Security Update : acroread (acroread-5749)

NASL family	Gentoo Local Security Checks
NASL id	GENTOO_GLSA-200901-09.NASL
description	The remote host is affected by the vulnerability described in GLSA-200901-09 (Adobe Reader: User-assisted execution of arbitrary code) An unspecified vulnerability can be triggered by a malformed PDF document, as demonstrated by 2008-HI2.pdf (CVE-2008-2549). Peter Vreugdenhil, Dyon Balding, Will Dormann, Damian Frizza, and Greg MacManus reported a stack-based buffer overflow in the util.printf JavaScript function that incorrectly handles the format string argument (CVE-2008-2992). Greg MacManus of iDefense Labs reported an array index error that can be leveraged for an out-of-bounds write, related to parsing of Type 1 fonts (CVE-2008-4812). Javier Vicente Vallejo and Peter Vregdenhil, via Zero Day Initiative, reported multiple unspecified memory corruption vulnerabilities (CVE-2008-4813). Thomas Garnier of SkyRecon Systems reported an unspecified vulnerability in a JavaScript method, related to an
last seen	2020-06-01
modified	2020-06-02
plugin id	35367
published	2009-01-14
reporter	This script is Copyright (C) 2009-2019 Tenable Network Security, Inc.
source	https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/35367
title	GLSA-200901-09 : Adobe Reader: User-assisted execution of arbitrary code

Packetstorm

data source	https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/download/83064/adobe_utilprintf.rb.txt
id	PACKETSTORM:83064
last seen	2016-12-05
published	2009-11-26
reporter	MC
source	https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/83064/Adobe-util.printf-Buffer-Overflow.html
title	Adobe util.printf() Buffer Overflow

data source	https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/download/71626/adobe-printf.txt
id	PACKETSTORM:71626
last seen	2016-12-05
published	2008-11-06
reporter	Debasis Mohanty
source	https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/71626/adobe-printf.txt.html
title	adobe-printf.txt

Redhat

advisories

rhsa

id	RHSA-2008:0974

rpms

acroread-0:8.1.3-1
acroread-0:8.1.3-1.el4
acroread-0:8.1.3-1.el5
acroread-plugin-0:8.1.3-1
acroread-plugin-0:8.1.3-1.el4
acroread-plugin-0:8.1.3-1.el5

Saint

bid	30035
description	Adobe Acrobat util.printf JavaScript function buffer overflow
id	misc_acrobat,misc_acroread
osvdb	49520
title	adobe_util_printf
type	client

Seebug

bulletinFamily	exploit
description	No description provided by source.
id	SSV:65893
last seen	2017-11-19
modified	2014-07-01
published	2014-07-01
reporter	Root
source	https://www.seebug.org/vuldb/ssvid-65893
title	Adobe Reader - util.printf() JavaScript Function Stack Overflow Exploit (2)

bulletinFamily	exploit
description	No description provided by source.
id	SSV:9954
last seen	2017-11-19
modified	2008-11-07
published	2008-11-07
reporter	Root
source	https://www.seebug.org/vuldb/ssvid-9954
title	Adobe Reader util.printf() JavaScript Function Stack Overflow Exploit #2

References

CVE is a registered MITRE Corporation trademark and MITRE's CVE website is the authoritative source of CVE content. CWE is a registered MITRE Corporation trademark and MITRE's CWE website is the authoritative source of CWE content.