CVE-2015-5106 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 perform a transition from Low Integrity to Medium Integrity via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-4446 and CVE-2015-5090.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2024
Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions prior to specific patch releases contain a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows attackers to transition from low integrity level to medium integrity level on windows and os x systems. This vulnerability specifically affects Adobe Reader 10.x versions before 10.1.15 and 11.x versions before 11.0.12, as well as Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 2015.006.30060 and DC Continuous before 2015.008.20082. The flaw enables unauthorized access to system resources that should be restricted to medium integrity processes, creating a significant security risk for users who encounter malicious pdf files. This vulnerability operates through unspecified vectors that differ from related issues CVE-2015-4446 and CVE-2015-5090, indicating a distinct code path or implementation flaw. The security implications are particularly concerning as low integrity processes typically have restricted access to system resources, file systems, and registry entries, while medium integrity processes can access more sensitive system components. The vulnerability allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions that are fundamental to windows security model, specifically targeting the integrity level enforcement mechanisms that separate different privilege levels. This issue represents a failure in the privilege separation mechanisms within adobe's pdf processing engine, potentially allowing attackers to execute malicious code with elevated privileges that would normally be restricted. The attack vector typically involves crafting malicious pdf files that exploit this integrity transition flaw, enabling the malicious code to gain access to system resources that should remain protected from low integrity processes. This vulnerability aligns with common weakness enumeration cwes such as cwe-276, which describes improper privileges, and cwe-264, which covers permissions, privileges, and access controls. From an attack technique perspective, this vulnerability maps to attack technique t1068, which involves exploiting privileges and access tokens to escalate access rights. The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows attackers to perform actions that should be restricted to higher privilege processes, potentially enabling further exploitation or lateral movement within the compromised system. Organizations using affected versions of adobe reader and acrobat should immediately implement patch management procedures to update to the latest versions, as this vulnerability could enable attackers to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive system resources. The security implications extend beyond simple privilege escalation, as this vulnerability could serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks that leverage the elevated privileges to access additional system components or data. System administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as application whitelisting, sandboxing, and monitoring for suspicious process behavior to mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current security patches and highlights the risks associated with running outdated software versions that may contain known security flaws. This particular vulnerability underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of software components that handle untrusted input, particularly in applications that process complex file formats like pdf documents. The flaw represents a critical gap in the security model implementation and emphasizes the necessity of robust integrity level enforcement mechanisms within software applications that handle sensitive data processing tasks.