CVE-2013-2733 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.x before 9.5.5, 10.x before 10.1.7, and 11.x before 11.0.03 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-2730.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2021
Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 9.x before 9.5.5, 10.x before 10.1.7, and 11.x before 11.0.03 contain a critical buffer overflow vulnerability that enables remote code execution through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability represents a distinct security flaw from CVE-2013-2730, indicating multiple attack surfaces within the software's processing capabilities. The buffer overflow occurs when the application processes certain malformed input data, typically encountered when opening maliciously crafted pdf documents. The flaw stems from inadequate bounds checking during memory allocation and data handling operations within the pdf parsing engine. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient validation of buffer boundaries allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The technical implementation involves the application failing to properly validate the size of data structures during pdf object processing, particularly when handling complex or malformed arrays and dictionaries. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious pdf files that trigger the buffer overflow during document rendering or parsing operations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution to encompass complete system compromise when exploited successfully. An attacker could deliver a malicious pdf document through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or compromised websites. Once opened by an unpatched victim, the malicious document could execute arbitrary commands on the target system, potentially leading to privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or establishment of persistent backdoors. The vulnerability affects multiple product versions simultaneously, indicating a fundamental flaw in the underlying pdf processing libraries that were shared across different software releases. This widespread impact makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it affects a large user base of the most commonly used pdf reader applications. The attack requires minimal user interaction beyond opening the malicious document, making it a highly effective social engineering target. Security researchers have noted that the exploitation often occurs through memory corruption techniques that can bypass modern exploit mitigations such as stack canaries and address space layout randomization.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch deployment and operational security measures. Organizations must prioritize updating all affected versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat to their patched releases, specifically versions 9.5.5, 10.1.7, and 11.0.03 respectively. System administrators should implement network-based controls to filter pdf files at ingress points, particularly in high-risk environments. The vulnerability aligns with attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the technique T1203, which covers exploitation of remote services and applications through memory corruption vulnerabilities. Additional protective measures include disabling javascript execution in pdf readers, implementing application whitelisting policies, and conducting regular security assessments of pdf handling processes. Organizations should also consider deploying endpoint detection and response solutions that can identify anomalous behavior patterns consistent with buffer overflow exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining current software patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against zero-day exploits. Security teams should monitor threat intelligence feeds for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability and prepare incident response procedures for potential exploitation attempts. Regular vulnerability assessments of pdf processing components should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other software applications that handle similar file formats.