CVE-2014-0546 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.11 and 11.x before 11.0.08 on Windows allow attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism, and consequently execute native code in a privileged context, via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2026
Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 10.x prior to 10.1.11 and 11.x prior to 11.0.08 contain a critical sandbox bypass vulnerability that undermines fundamental security protections designed to prevent privilege escalation attacks. This vulnerability resides in the document processing engine of Adobe's PDF rendering software, specifically affecting Windows implementations where the sandbox protection mechanism fails to properly isolate untrusted PDF content from the underlying operating system. The flaw allows attackers to execute native code within a privileged execution context that should normally be restricted to the sandboxed environment, effectively breaking the security boundary that separates user-level processes from system-level operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the PDF parser that fails to properly enforce the sandbox restrictions when processing malformed or specially crafted PDF documents. This weakness enables attackers to craft malicious PDF files that can bypass the intended security boundaries, allowing arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges. The vulnerability operates at the application level within the Adobe Reader/Acrobat process, leveraging the inherent trust model of PDF processing to escalate privileges without requiring additional exploitation primitives. This represents a classic sandbox escape scenario that aligns with common attack patterns described in the attack technique framework, specifically targeting the privilege escalation and code execution domains.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0546 is severe and far-reaching across enterprise environments that rely on Adobe Reader for document processing. Organizations utilizing affected versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat face significant risk of unauthorized system compromise, data exfiltration, and persistence mechanisms being established through this vulnerability. The attack vector typically involves social engineering campaigns where users open malicious PDF attachments, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in targeted phishing attacks. Once exploited, the vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the currently logged-in user, potentially leading to full system compromise. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-254, which addresses security weaknesses in sandbox implementations, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter execution, as well as T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Adobe Reader and Acrobat installations to versions 10.1.11 or 11.0.08 respectively, as these releases contain the necessary security fixes to address the sandbox bypass mechanism. Organizations should implement strict PDF document filtering policies and consider deploying additional security controls such as application whitelisting, network-based protections, and email filtering solutions to reduce the attack surface. System administrators should also consider disabling PDF processing in web browsers where possible, and implement user education programs to reduce the likelihood of successful social engineering attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and highlights the risks associated with legacy software deployments in enterprise environments where the attack surface remains unmitigated.