CVE-2015-5088 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-2015-4449, CVE-2015-4450, CVE-2015-5089, and CVE-2015-5092.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical access control flaw in Adobe Reader and Acrobat products that enables attackers to bypass intended security restrictions and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability affects multiple product versions including Adobe 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 flaw operates through unspecified vectors that differ from several related vulnerabilities, indicating a distinct attack surface that requires specific remediation approaches. This issue poses significant risks to organizations relying on Adobe's document processing software for handling sensitive data and corporate documents.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper implementation of access control mechanisms within Adobe's document processing framework. Attackers can exploit this weakness to circumvent the intended security boundaries that should prevent unauthorized access to protected content, user credentials, or system resources. The vulnerability's classification as an access restriction bypass aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control issues where systems fail to properly enforce access restrictions. This weakness allows adversaries to escalate privileges or access restricted functionality without proper authentication or authorization, potentially leading to data exfiltration or system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-5088 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can enable attackers to access sensitive corporate data, intellectual property, or personal information stored in PDF documents. Organizations using affected Adobe products face heightened risk of data breaches, especially in environments where documents contain confidential information such as financial records, medical data, or proprietary business information. The vulnerability's presence in both Windows and OS X operating systems indicates a cross-platform threat that requires comprehensive security remediation across different computing environments. Security teams must consider this vulnerability as part of broader threat modeling exercises, particularly in environments where PDF processing is a common activity.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patch deployment for all affected Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions, as Adobe released security updates specifically addressing this issue. Organizations should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures for handling potential breaches. Security configurations should include restricting PDF document processing capabilities where possible, particularly in high-security environments. The vulnerability's relationship to other CVEs in the same timeframe suggests that organizations may need to consider comprehensive Adobe product security reviews, as these related vulnerabilities often indicate systemic weaknesses in the software's security architecture. Compliance with security standards such as those outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework should be maintained, ensuring that all remediation efforts align with established security practices and risk management protocols.