CVE-2011-4371 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 9.5, and 10.x before 10.1.2, on Windows and Mac OS X allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2021
Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions prior to 9.5 and 10.1.2 respectively contain a critical heap memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability affects both Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, making it a cross-platform threat that impacts a significant portion of users who rely on Adobe's document processing software. The unspecified vectors suggest that the flaw could be triggered through multiple attack surfaces including malformed PDF files, embedded objects, or malicious content within document structures. The heap corruption aspect indicates that attackers can manipulate memory allocation patterns to overwrite critical data structures or execute arbitrary code within the application's memory space, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-122, Heap-based Buffer Overflow, which is classified as a fundamental memory corruption issue that has been consistently exploited in various software applications over the years. The attack surface is particularly concerning given Adobe Reader's widespread use in corporate and personal environments where users frequently open documents from untrusted sources. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple exploitation as it can also cause denial of service conditions that may persist across system restarts, creating persistent availability issues for affected systems. The root cause likely involves improper input validation and memory management within Adobe's PDF parsing libraries, where insufficient bounds checking allows malicious data to overwrite heap memory regions. This flaw represents a classic example of how memory corruption vulnerabilities can be leveraged for privilege escalation attacks, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute code with the privileges of the targeted user. The vulnerability's presence in widely used software versions means that many organizations were exposed to risk for extended periods, particularly those with delayed patch management processes. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software security patches and implementing network segmentation controls to limit potential attack vectors. Organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of vulnerable Adobe Reader versions while also deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1203, Exploitation for Client Execution, highlights the specific threat model where adversaries leverage software vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on targeted systems. Security teams must prioritize patch deployment for this vulnerability, as it represents one of the more commonly exploited memory corruption flaws in enterprise environments. The lack of specific vector details in the original CVE description suggests that multiple attack paths exist, requiring comprehensive network monitoring and endpoint protection measures to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. This vulnerability underscores the critical importance of regular security assessments and vulnerability management programs that can identify and remediate such issues before they are actively exploited in the wild. The impact on user productivity and organizational security posture makes this vulnerability particularly significant in enterprise environments where document processing is a core business function.