CVE-2010-0197 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.3.2, and 8.x before 8.2.2 on Windows and Mac OS X, allow attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) or execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2010-0194, CVE-2010-0201, and CVE-2010-0204.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2018
Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions prior to 9.3.2 for Windows and Mac OS X contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that could be exploited to achieve remote code execution or denial of service. This vulnerability affected both the 9.x series before 9.3.2 and the 8.x series before 8.2.2, representing a significant security flaw in Adobe's document processing software that was widely used across enterprise and consumer environments. The vulnerability was distinct from other related issues such as CVE-2010-0194, CVE-2010-0201, and CVE-2010-0204, indicating it was a separate code path that required different exploitation techniques. The unspecified vectors of attack suggest that the vulnerability could be triggered through various methods of document processing, potentially including malformed PDF files or specific combinations of PDF elements that caused memory allocation errors during parsing.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under memory corruption patterns that are commonly classified as CWE-125, which represents "Out-of-bounds Read" and CWE-787, "Out-of-bounds Write," both of which are fundamental weaknesses in memory management that can lead to arbitrary code execution when exploited properly. The vulnerability likely occurred during the parsing or rendering of PDF objects, where improper bounds checking or memory handling allowed attackers to manipulate memory structures in ways that could either crash the application or inject malicious code into the process memory space. Given the nature of PDF processing, this vulnerability would typically be triggered when the vulnerable application attempted to parse or render maliciously crafted PDF content, potentially through embedded JavaScript, external references, or specially constructed objects that caused buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability represented a severe risk to organizations relying on Adobe Reader and Acrobat for document processing, as it could be exploited through simple document delivery methods such as email attachments, web downloads, or shared network resources. The potential for remote code execution meant that attackers could gain complete control over affected systems, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users frequently opened documents from untrusted sources. The denial of service aspect could be used for persistent disruption attacks, while the arbitrary code execution capability provided a complete compromise path for attackers to establish persistent access, escalate privileges, or deploy additional malware. This vulnerability was particularly concerning because Adobe Reader was widely installed across Windows and Mac OS X systems, providing attackers with a broad attack surface.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under techniques such as T1059 for command and scripting interpreter, T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, and T1133 for external remote services, as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access through compromised applications. Organizations were advised to immediately apply the security patches released by Adobe, which included memory management fixes and improved bounds checking mechanisms. Mitigation strategies involved not only patching the affected software but also implementing additional security controls such as application whitelisting, sandboxing techniques, and network-based protections to limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts. Security professionals recommended disabling the automatic execution of JavaScript in PDF documents and implementing strict document handling policies to reduce the attack surface. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of timely patch management and the need for organizations to maintain up-to-date security configurations to protect against similar memory corruption vulnerabilities in other software applications.