CVE-2010-2884 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player 10.1.82.76 and earlier on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris and 10.1.92.10 on Android; authplay.dll in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.4; and authplay.dll in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.x before 8.2.5 on Windows and Mac OS X allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, as exploited in the wild in September 2010.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw affecting multiple Adobe products including Flash Player across various operating systems and Adobe Reader/Acrobat versions. The vulnerability exists within the authplay.dll component which is part of Adobe's authentication and playback functionality. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions through unspecified attack vectors that were actively exploited in the wild during September 2010. This particular vulnerability demonstrates the inherent risks associated with complex multimedia and document processing components that handle untrusted input from network sources.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within Adobe's authentication playback module, specifically within the authplay.dll library. Memory corruption vulnerabilities typically occur when applications fail to properly validate or sanitize input data before processing it in memory structures. This particular flaw affects Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 8.x before 8.2.5 and 9.x before 9.4, as well as Flash Player versions 10.1.82.76 and earlier across multiple platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris, plus Android versions 10.1.92.10 and earlier. The vulnerability operates through unspecified vectors that likely involve manipulation of specially crafted documents or media content that triggers the flawed memory handling code path.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, encompassing both remote code execution capabilities and denial of service conditions. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could potentially gain complete control over affected systems, execute malicious code with the privileges of the targeted user, and cause system instability leading to denial of service scenarios. The widespread exploitation in September 2010 demonstrates the vulnerability's effectiveness and the critical need for immediate remediation. The fact that this vulnerability affected multiple platforms including mobile operating systems like Android highlights the cross-platform nature of the threat and the extensive attack surface.
The vulnerability aligns with common weakness enumerations including CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions. These classifications reflect the fundamental nature of memory corruption vulnerabilities where improper bounds checking leads to unauthorized memory access. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability would map to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1203, which covers exploitation for execution, and T1059, involving command and scripting interpreter usage. The vulnerability also represents a classic example of how legacy software components can contain persistent security flaws that remain exploitable for extended periods.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Adobe products to remediate this vulnerability, as the exploitation window was actively used in real-world attacks during 2010. The patching process should include updating Adobe Reader and Acrobat to versions 8.2.5 or later and 9.4 or later respectively, along with updating Flash Player to versions beyond the affected releases. Additionally, network administrators should implement defensive measures such as content filtering, sandboxing mechanisms, and monitoring for suspicious document access patterns. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against zero-day exploits targeting widely used software components.