CVE-2010-3624 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.x before 8.2.5 and 9.x before 9.4 on Mac OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted image.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2018
Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 8.x prior to 8.2.5 and 9.x prior to 9.4 contain a critical vulnerability on Mac OS X systems that enables remote code execution through malformed image files. This vulnerability falls under the category of unspecified flaws that typically represent complex software defects in multimedia processing components. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management issues within the image parsing functionality of these Adobe applications. Attackers can craft specially designed image files that, when opened by the vulnerable software, trigger buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions. These conditions allow malicious code to be executed with the privileges of the running application, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the common practice of opening image files, making it easily exploitable through social engineering attacks such as email attachments or malicious websites. The flaw represents a classic example of a buffer overflow vulnerability that can be classified under CWE-121, which deals with stack-based buffer overflow conditions. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Adobe Reader and Acrobat for document processing, particularly those using older versions on Mac systems. The attack surface is broad as users frequently open documents containing images, making this a high-risk exposure. The impact extends beyond individual system compromise to potential network-wide infiltration, especially when users open malicious documents in shared environments. Organizations with outdated software versions are particularly vulnerable as they lack the security patches that address this specific memory corruption issue. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and code execution. Security professionals must understand that this flaw demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing proper patch management procedures. The attack vector specifically targets the image handling components of Adobe's software suite, which are commonly used for processing various image formats including jpeg, png, and tiff files. This vulnerability underscores the need for comprehensive software security testing, particularly in multimedia processing libraries that handle untrusted input data. The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may inadvertently open malicious documents. Organizations should implement network segmentation and web filtering solutions to prevent access to potentially malicious content. The fix for this vulnerability requires updating to Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 8.2.5 and 9.4 respectively, which contain proper input validation and memory management fixes. System administrators must prioritize patch deployment and verify that all affected systems have been updated. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of sandboxing techniques and application whitelisting to prevent exploitation of similar flaws in other software applications. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual image processing activities that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should identify systems running outdated software versions that remain susceptible to this and similar attacks. The remediation process involves not only updating the software but also educating users about the risks of opening untrusted documents and implementing proper security policies. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of timely patch management and the potential consequences of running unsupported software versions in production environments.