CVE-2011-2092 in LiveCycle
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe LiveCycle Data Services 3.1 and earlier, LiveCycle 9.0.0.2 and earlier, and BlazeDS 4.0.1 and earlier do not properly restrict creation of classes during deserialization of (1) AMF and (2) AMFX data, which allows attackers to have an unspecified impact via unknown vectors, related to a "deserialization vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2021
Adobe LiveCycle Data Services and BlazeDS frameworks suffer from a critical deserialization vulnerability that stems from insufficient validation during the processing of Action Message Format AMF and AMFX data streams. This vulnerability exists in versions 3.1 and earlier of LiveCycle Data Services, 9.0.0.2 and earlier of LiveCycle, and 4.0.1 and earlier of BlazeDS, creating a pathway for remote code execution and system compromise. The flaw resides in the object deserialization process where the application fails to properly restrict class instantiation, allowing attackers to craft malicious data streams that can execute arbitrary code on the target system.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-502, which describes "Deserialization of Untrusted Data" as a critical weakness in software systems. During the deserialization process, the application accepts serialized data and reconstructs objects from that data without adequate validation of the class types being instantiated. This creates an opportunity for attackers to inject malicious class definitions that can execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the running application. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the serialization layer, making it difficult to detect and prevent through traditional network security measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data corruption or denial of service. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within network environments. The unspecified impact mentioned in the CVE description suggests that the vulnerability could enable various attack vectors including remote code execution, privilege escalation, and information disclosure. Systems running these affected versions of Adobe LiveCycle and BlazeDS components are particularly at risk when they process untrusted data streams from external sources, making web applications and enterprise systems that rely on these frameworks prime targets for exploitation.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions of the affected software, implementing network segmentation to limit access to vulnerable systems, and deploying application firewalls to monitor and filter AMF and AMFX data traffic. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic' and T1133 for 'External Remote Services' as attackers can leverage the deserialization flaw to establish persistent access. Additional protective measures include disabling unnecessary deserialization capabilities, implementing strict input validation, and monitoring for anomalous deserialization activity. Security teams should also consider implementing runtime application self-protection mechanisms and conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify and remediate similar issues in other components of their software stack.