How severe is CVE-2008-2992?

CVE-2008-2992 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2008-2992?

Affected package information for CVE-2008-2992 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2008-2992?

No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2008-2992 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.

How do I detect CVE-2008-2992 in my code and dependencies?

Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).

How do I mitigate CVE-2008-2992 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Stop feeding it untrusted input: reject or quarantine files and payloads from unverified sources until you can upgrade, restrict accepted formats to the ones you actually need, and run the parsing or decoding step in a least-privileged sandbox or short-lived worker so a crash or corrupted read cannot reach the rest of the process.

Is CVE-2008-2992 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 9 known exploit references for CVE-2008-2992, including 4 documented proof-of-concept exploits on Exploit-DB and 5 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2008-2992?

CVE-2008-2992 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 99.8%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Is CVE-2008-2992 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2008-2992 (Adobe Reader and Acrobat Input Validation Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-03-03. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-03-24. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. This CVE has been used in known ransomware campaigns. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2008-2992?

CVE-2008-2992 is classified as Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2008-2992 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2008-2992 was published on November 4, 2008 and was last updated on October 22, 2025. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🛡️

CISA KEV · ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

HIGH severity

CVE-2008-2992 — Oracle

HIGH

CVE-2008-2992 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability. It is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-03) and has been used in ransomware campaigns — treat it as actively exploited and patch now. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

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…

Published

Nov 4, 2008

Updated

Oct 22, 2025

Affected

3 products

Patched

See advisory

Exploits

9 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 22, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

Confirmed by CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-03-03 — including use in ransomware campaigns. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2022-03-24.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA (KEV catalog and SSVC triage) for CVE-2008-2992.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

99.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk+1.31%

Lower risk than most CVEs100th percentile — riskier than 100% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2008-2992 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). In the shaded patch-first corner (EPSS 50%+, CVSS 7.0+).

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 394,415 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the ≥ 90% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Description

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.

Affected Products

3 products · 3 configurations

Application

acrobatadobe

≤ 8.1.2

range

Application

acrobat readeradobe

≤ 8.1.2

range

solarisoracle

1 version

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-7006localwindows✓ Verified

Adobe Reader - 'util.printf()' JavaScript Function Stack Overflow (2)

by Debasis Mohanty · Nov 5, 2008

Exploit-DB Source

EDB-16504localwindows✓ Verified

Adobe - 'util.printf()' Local Buffer Overflow (Metasploit) (1)

by Metasploit · May 3, 2010

Exploit-DB Source

EDB-16624localwindows✓ Verified

Adobe - 'util.printf()' Local Buffer Overflow (Metasploit) (2)

by Metasploit · Sep 25, 2010

Exploit-DB Source

EDB-6994localwindows✓ Verified

Adobe Reader - 'util.printf()' JavaScript Function Stack Overflow (1)

by Elazar · Nov 5, 2008

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Vulnerability

Detect
Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).
Remediation status
No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2008-2992 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
Stop feeding it untrusted input: reject or quarantine files and payloads from unverified sources until you can upgrade, restrict accepted formats to the ones you actually need, and run the parsing or decoding step in a least-privileged sandbox or short-lived worker so a crash or corrupted read cannot reach the rest of the process.

Fixing This On Your OS

If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.

Red HatCritical

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Extras for RHEL 3	`acroread-0:8.1.3-1`	RHSA-2008:0974

Frequently Asked Questions

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CVE-2008-2992 — Oracle

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Description

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Remediation status

Mitigate without a patch

Fixing This On Your OS

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2008-2992 in your dependencies?