CVE-2011-2462

CVE-2011-2462 is an out-of-bounds write (CWE-787) memory corruption flaw in the Universal 3D (U3D) component of Adobe Reader and Acrobat. An attacker triggers it by convincing a user to open a specially crafted PDF containing embedded 3D (U3D) content, which corrupts memory when the component parses the 3D data. Successful exploitation can yield remote code execution with the privileges of the logged-in user, or a denial of service if it merely crashes the application. Anyone running an affected Adobe Reader or Acrobat release is exposed, though the source data does not specify the affected version ranges. The flaw is confirmed exploited in the wild — CISA added it to the KEV catalog on 2022-06-08 (ransomware use: unknown) — and EPSS assigns it an 86.6% probability of exploitation within 30 days (100th percentile).

What to do: Apply Adobe Reader/Acrobat updates per vendor instructions as required by the CISA KEV listing, prioritizing legacy or unpatched installations, and verify installed versions against Adobe's U3D security advisory. Until patched, treat PDFs from untrusted sources — especially PDFs with embedded 3D/U3D content — as suspect and avoid opening them in Reader/Acrobat. Because the flaw dates to 2011, any environment still running unpatched legacy versions should be patched or upgraded promptly.