CVE-2007-5659
Multiple buffer overflows in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.1.1 and earlier allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a PDF file with long arguments to unspecified JavaScript methods. NOTE: this issue might be subsumed by CVE-2008-0655.
- CVSS
- 7.8Highscored by CISA
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 8 Jun 2022CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 22 Jun 2022public exploit code
- EPSS
- 87.3%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 0.3% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
- Published
- 12 Feb 2008analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. Apply updates per vendor instructions. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
Products named in our analysis
- adobe:acrobat
- adobe:acrobat_reader
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? No. The attack needs local access to the machine, so a WAF is not on its path.
Also consider: patch
Based on the attack vector (local or physical access). We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Listed since 8 Jun 2022.
- CISA due date
- 22 Jun 2022, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Public exploit code
- Yes: 2 on Exploit-DB · 1 Metasploit module
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 7 Feb 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Exploit-DB
- Adobe - 'Collab.collectEmailInfo()' Local Buffer Overflow (Metasploit)local, 25 Sept 2010, verified by Exploit-DB
- Adobe Acrobat and Reader 8.1.1 - Multiple Arbitrary Code Execution / Security Vulnerabilitiesdos, 6 Feb 2008, verified by Exploit-DB
Metasploit
- exploit/windows/fileformat/adobe_collectemailinfoexploit, rank good
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
Timeline
- 6 Feb 2008First public exploit or proof of concept
- 12 Feb 2008Published7 days later
- 8 Jun 2022Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)5,229 days (about 14 years) later
- 22 Jun 2022CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)14 days later
- 7 Feb 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active962 days (about 3 years) later
- 22 Oct 2025CVE record last updated256 days (about 9 months) later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com387 days (about 1 year) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | LocalLocal access required (shell, logged-in user). | Local access required (shell, logged-in user). |
| Attack complexity | LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions. | Repeatable attack, no special conditions. |
| Privileges required | NoneThe attacker needs no prior access. | The attacker needs no prior access. |
| User interaction | RequiredA victim must click, open or otherwise cooperate. | A victim must click, open or otherwise cooperate. |
| Scope | UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component. | Impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality | HighTotal data disclosure possible. | Total data disclosure possible. |
| Integrity | HighComplete modification possible. | Complete modification possible. |
| Availability | HighFull outage possible. | Full outage possible. |
Common questions
Is CVE-2007-5659 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2007-5659 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2007-5659?
CVE-2007-5659 is rated High with a CVSS score of 7.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2007-5659?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2007-5659. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2007-5659 affect?
CVE-2007-5659 affects adobe:acrobat, adobe:acrobat_reader. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
14 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Advisories (9)
- us-cert.gov /cas/techalerts/TA08-043A.html
- labs.idefense.com /intelligence/vulnerabilities/display.php?id=657
- sunsolve.sun.com /search/document.do?assetkey=1-26-239286-1
- security.gentoo.org /glsa/glsa-200803-01.xml
- secunia.com /advisories/29065
- secunia.com /advisories/30840
Show 3 more
- secunia.com /advisories/29205
- redhat.com /support/errata/RHSA-2008-0144.html
- kb.cert.org /vuls/id/666281
Other links (5)
- adobe.com /support/security/bulletins/apsb08-13.html
- vupen.com /english/advisories/2008/1966/references
- oval.cisecurity.org /repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A9813
- adobe.com /support/security/advisories/apsa08-01.html
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2007-5659
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Exploit-DB: published exploits
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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