CVE-2014-0566 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 execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-0565.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2022
Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 10.x before 10.1.12 and 11.x before 11.0.09 contain a memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution or denial of service attacks on Windows and macOS systems. This vulnerability represents a distinct issue from CVE-2014-0565 and demonstrates the ongoing security challenges in Adobe's document processing software. The flaw exists within the way these applications handle certain input data structures, specifically related to memory management during document parsing operations. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious PDF files that trigger improper memory handling when the affected software attempts to process them. The memory corruption occurs during the rendering or parsing phase of PDF document processing, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the current user. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions where an application accesses memory beyond its allocated bounds. The attack surface is particularly concerning given Adobe Reader's widespread deployment across enterprise environments and individual user systems. The memory corruption vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate heap memory structures through carefully constructed PDF content, potentially leading to privilege escalation or system compromise. This flaw represents a critical security risk as it can be exploited through social engineering attacks where users open maliciously crafted PDF documents, either through email attachments or web downloads. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service to include full system compromise, making it a high-priority target for threat actors. Organizations running affected versions should prioritize patching to prevent exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1059.007 technique for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary commands on compromised systems. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction, typically involving opening a malicious document, making it particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios. Security researchers have identified that the flaw manifests during the parsing of specific PDF objects, particularly those involving complex memory allocation patterns. The memory corruption occurs when the application fails to properly validate input data structures, leading to buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions. This vulnerability demonstrates the complexity of modern PDF processing and the challenges in maintaining secure memory management in document rendering engines. The affected versions represent a significant portion of Adobe Reader installations, making the exploitation potential widespread across both enterprise and consumer environments.
The vulnerability's technical implementation involves improper handling of memory allocation requests during PDF document processing, where the application fails to validate the size or structure of incoming data. This leads to memory corruption that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code through controlled memory overwrite operations. The flaw affects the core PDF parsing engine within Adobe Reader and Acrobat, which is responsible for interpreting and rendering document content. Attackers can craft PDF files that contain malformed data structures designed to trigger specific memory corruption patterns, potentially leading to code execution at the privilege level of the running application. The vulnerability's exploitation requires understanding of memory layout and heap management within the Adobe applications, indicating that sophisticated attackers with knowledge of memory corruption techniques could leverage this flaw effectively. The vulnerability's presence in both Windows and macOS versions demonstrates the cross-platform nature of the memory management issue. Security researchers have noted that the vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited without requiring any special privileges or complex attack chains. The memory corruption vulnerability represents a classic example of how improper input validation in document processing software can lead to serious security consequences. The flaw's exploitation can result in complete system compromise, as successful attacks can lead to privilege escalation and persistent access to target systems. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to address this vulnerability, as the window for exploitation remains open for systems running unpatched versions. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue aligns with common attack patterns in exploit development, where attackers target memory management flaws to gain control over program execution flow. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of regular security updates and the risks associated with legacy software versions in enterprise environments. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate exploitation to include long-term security implications, as compromised systems may provide attackers with persistent access to sensitive organizational data.