CVE-2009-2989 in Acrobat
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in Adobe Acrobat 9.x before 9.2, 8.x before 8.1.7, and possibly 7.x through 7.1.4 might allow attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2018
Adobe Acrobat software contains a critical integer overflow vulnerability that affects multiple versions including 9.x before 9.2, 8.x before 8.1.7, and potentially 7.x through 7.1.4. This flaw represents a fundamental memory management issue where the application fails to properly validate integer values during processing operations, creating opportunities for malicious code execution. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of integer arithmetic operations that can cause signed integers to wrap around to negative values when they exceed their maximum positive limits, a classic software security weakness categorized under CWE-190 as Integer Overflow or Wraparound.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when Acrobat processes malformed or specially crafted input data that triggers integer overflow conditions during memory allocation or buffer operations. Attackers can exploit this by constructing malicious documents or data inputs that cause the application to perform calculations resulting in integer overflow, which then leads to heap corruption and potential code execution. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution, as it enables remote code execution through crafted document manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems with the privileges of the user running Acrobat. This creates significant risk for enterprise environments where Acrobat is widely deployed for document viewing and processing. The vulnerability affects not just individual users but entire organizations since Acrobat is commonly used across multiple platforms and applications. Attackers can leverage this to gain unauthorized access to sensitive documents, escalate privileges, or establish persistent access points within network environments. The integer overflow condition can be triggered through various document formats that Acrobat supports, making the attack surface broad and difficult to fully mitigate through simple input filtering approaches.
Organizations should immediately implement patch management procedures to upgrade to Adobe Acrobat versions 9.2, 8.1.7, or 7.1.4 respectively, depending on their current deployment. Security administrators should also consider implementing network-based protections such as content filtering and sandboxing solutions to prevent exploitation attempts. Additionally, user education regarding the dangers of opening untrusted documents remains crucial since social engineering attacks often leverage such vulnerabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and integer handling in software development processes, emphasizing the need for adherence to secure coding practices and regular security assessments of third-party applications. Organizations should also monitor for related vulnerabilities that may exploit similar memory corruption patterns and maintain updated threat intelligence feeds to track exploitation attempts targeting this specific flaw.