CVE-2014-0563 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.12 and 11.x before 11.0.09 on Windows and OS X allow attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2022
Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 10.x prior to 10.1.12 and 11.x prior to 11.0.09 contain a memory corruption vulnerability that can be exploited to cause denial of service conditions on both Windows and macOS operating systems. This vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption flaws that can lead to unpredictable behavior and system instability. The unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability can be triggered through various attack surfaces within the software's processing mechanisms, potentially including malformed PDF files or maliciously crafted content within documents. The vulnerability represents a critical security concern as it allows remote attackers to disrupt the normal operation of these widely used document viewing applications. The memory corruption aspect indicates that the flaw likely involves improper handling of memory allocation or deallocation during PDF processing, potentially through buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory management errors that could be exploited to crash the application or potentially execute arbitrary code. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability would be categorized under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read, or potentially CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, depending on the specific implementation flaw. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service as it could potentially enable more sophisticated attacks if the memory corruption leads to code execution. This issue highlights the importance of keeping document processing software up to date, as these applications are frequently targeted by attackers due to their widespread use and the complex nature of PDF processing. Organizations using affected versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat should prioritize patching to prevent potential exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the ongoing challenge in securing complex software applications that handle untrusted input data, particularly in environments where users may encounter malicious documents from various sources. Security researchers have noted that such memory corruption vulnerabilities often serve as initial attack vectors for more comprehensive exploitation campaigns, making prompt remediation essential for maintaining system integrity. The affected software versions represent common tools in enterprise environments, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations that rely on PDF document processing for business operations. This particular vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution, as it represents a method by which attackers can cause applications to behave unexpectedly and potentially execute malicious code through document processing. The memory corruption issue underscores the need for robust input validation and memory management practices in software development, particularly for applications that process complex file formats like PDFs. Organizations should implement layered security approaches including regular software updates, network segmentation, and user education to mitigate risks associated with such vulnerabilities. The specific nature of the vulnerability suggests that attackers could potentially craft PDF files designed to trigger the memory corruption when opened by the affected software versions, making it a significant concern for email-based attack vectors where PDF attachments are commonly used.