CVE-2015-3058 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.14 and 11.x before 11.0.11 on Windows and OS X allow attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2022
Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions prior to 10.1.14 and 11.0.11 on Windows and OS X contain a vulnerability that allows attackers to extract sensitive information from process memory through unspecified vectors. This vulnerability represents a classic information disclosure flaw that could potentially expose confidential data stored in memory during application execution. The issue stems from inadequate memory management practices within the software's processing mechanisms, creating opportunities for malicious actors to access data that should remain protected. Such memory exposure can include user credentials, document contents, system information, or other sensitive data that applications store temporarily in memory during processing operations. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests multiple potential pathways through which memory corruption or access control failures could occur, making the vulnerability particularly concerning for security professionals who must account for various attack surfaces. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which specifically addresses information exposure, and represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security model where process memory is not adequately protected from unauthorized access. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as the sensitive information obtained could potentially be used for further attacks including credential theft, privilege escalation, or targeted exploitation of other system components. Attackers could leverage this weakness to gain insights into application behavior, internal data structures, or even system configurations that would normally remain hidden from external observation. The vulnerability affects widely used software applications, making it particularly dangerous as it could be exploited against numerous users across different environments. The memory access patterns that enable this information disclosure typically involve either direct memory reading techniques or exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities that allow attackers to bypass normal access controls. This particular weakness demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws in memory management can create significant security risks, especially in applications that handle sensitive user data and document processing. Organizations using affected versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat should prioritize immediate patching to address this vulnerability and prevent potential exploitation attempts. The security implications of such memory exposure can be severe, particularly when considering that sensitive information may be accessible to attackers without requiring elevated privileges or complex attack chains. This vulnerability type often requires careful monitoring of application memory structures and implementation of proper access controls to prevent unauthorized data extraction. The affected versions represent a significant security gap that could be exploited by adversaries to gather intelligence about target systems or users, making proactive remediation essential for maintaining overall security posture. Implementation of proper memory protection mechanisms and regular security updates becomes critical for organizations that rely on these applications for document processing and viewing. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of robust software security practices during development, particularly around memory management and access control implementation. Organizations should consider implementing additional monitoring and detection capabilities to identify potential exploitation attempts of this nature. Security teams must evaluate their current defensive measures against similar memory-based attack patterns and ensure comprehensive coverage of application memory protection. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of how critical it is to maintain up-to-date security patches and conduct regular vulnerability assessments of commonly used software applications. Proper incident response procedures should include checking for exploitation of this type of memory disclosure vulnerability, as it could indicate broader compromise attempts within the organization's attack surface. The potential for this vulnerability to be combined with other attack vectors makes it particularly dangerous and necessitates layered security approaches to protect against comprehensive exploitation scenarios.