Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2009-3489

Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.0 installs the Adobe Active File Monitor V8 service with an insecure security descriptor, which allows local users to (1) stop the service via the stop command, (2) execute arbitrary commands as SYSTEM by using the config command to modify the binPath variable, or (3) restart the service via the start command.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from adobe organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

Originally identified in 2009, this vulnerability predates many modern security frameworks and practices. The vulnerability landscape of that era was characterized by different threat models and less mature defense mechanisms compared to contemporary standards.

Published

2009-09-30T15:30:00.593

Last Modified

2025-04-09T00:30:58.490

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Access Vector: LOCAL
Access Complexity: MEDIUM
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: COMPLETE
Integrity Impact: COMPLETE
Availability Impact: COMPLETE

Exploitability Score

3.4

Impact Score

10.0

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-732

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	adobe	photoshop_elements	8.0	Yes

References

http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt/2009/09/potential_photoshop_elements_8.html Broken Link ([email protected])
http://retrogod.altervista.org/9sg_adobe_pe_local.html Broken Link, Exploit ([email protected])
http://secunia.com/advisories/36895 Broken Link ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/506806/100/0/threaded Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/36542 Broken Link, Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1022963 Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/2798 Permissions Required ([email protected])
http://blogs.adobe.com/psirt/2009/09/potential_photoshop_elements_8.html Broken Link (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://retrogod.altervista.org/9sg_adobe_pe_local.html Broken Link, Exploit (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://secunia.com/advisories/36895 Broken Link (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/506806/100/0/threaded Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/36542 Broken Link, Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1022963 Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/2798 Permissions Required (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For adobe's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.