CVE-2015-4449 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.15 and 11.x before 11.0.12, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 2015.006.30060, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 2015.008.20082 on Windows and OS X allow attackers to bypass intended access restrictions and obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-8450, CVE-2015-4450, CVE-2015-5088, CVE-2015-5089, and CVE-2015-5092.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/01/2022
This vulnerability represents a critical access control flaw in Adobe Reader and Acrobat products that enables attackers to bypass intended security restrictions and obtain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The issue affects multiple product versions including Reader 10.x before 10.1.15 and 11.x before 11.0.12, along with various Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic and Continuous versions released in 2015. The vulnerability operates through unspecified attack vectors that differ from several other related security flaws, indicating a distinct exploitation mechanism that requires careful analysis of the underlying software architecture and permission handling systems.
The technical flaw manifests as a weakness in the access control mechanisms that govern how the software manages user permissions and resource access. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-284 category of Improper Access Control, where the software fails to properly enforce authorization checks that should prevent unauthorized access to protected resources. The vulnerability allows attackers to circumvent the normal security boundaries that would typically restrict access to sensitive information, potentially enabling data exfiltration or privilege escalation within the application environment. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways exist for exploitation, making the vulnerability particularly concerning for security professionals who must account for various potential attack surfaces.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations that rely on Adobe Reader and Acrobat for document handling and processing. Attackers could potentially access confidential documents, sensitive data, or system resources that should remain protected within the application's security model. The vulnerability affects both Windows and OS X platforms, extending its potential impact across different operating environments. Organizations using these software versions may experience unauthorized access to proprietary information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information, leading to potential regulatory compliance violations and reputational damage. The vulnerability's presence in widely deployed software applications means that the attack surface is extensive, potentially affecting thousands of endpoints across enterprise networks.
Security mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate software updates to the patched versions mentioned in the CVE description. Organizations should prioritize deployment of Adobe security patches as soon as possible, particularly given the unspecified nature of the attack vectors which suggests potential for active exploitation. System administrators should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish baseline configurations that minimize the attack surface. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that include application whitelisting, sandboxing, and network segmentation to limit potential impact if exploitation occurs. Additionally, security teams should conduct vulnerability assessments to identify systems running affected software versions and implement temporary controls until permanent patches can be deployed across all affected endpoints.