CVE-2015-6701 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
The ambientIlluminationColor property implementation in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.16 and 11.x before 11.0.13, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 2015.006.30094, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 2015.009.20069 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory via a function call, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-6697, CVE-2015-6699, CVE-2015-6700, CVE-2015-6702, CVE-2015-6703, and CVE-2015-6704.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-6701 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Adobe Reader and Acrobat software implementations on Windows and macOS platforms. This issue specifically affects the ambientIlluminationColor property handling mechanism within the software's rendering engine, where improper memory management during function calls creates opportunities for attackers to extract sensitive data from process memory. The vulnerability exists in multiple product versions including Adobe Reader 10.x prior to 10.1.16 and 11.x prior to 11.0.13, alongside various Adobe Acrobat DC Classic and Continuous versions released before specific patch levels. Unlike other related vulnerabilities such as CVE-2015-6697 through CVE-2015-6704, this particular flaw manifests through a distinct code path involving the ambient illumination color property implementation.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking and memory access controls within the Adobe Reader and Acrobat applications when processing the ambientIlluminationColor property. When the application encounters a function call related to this property, it fails to properly validate memory access patterns, allowing unauthorized data retrieval from adjacent memory regions. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-200 category for exposure of sensitive information and can be classified as a memory disclosure vulnerability that enables attackers to harvest potentially sensitive data including user credentials, system information, or other confidential process data. The flaw operates through the application's memory management subsystem where insufficient input validation permits memory reads beyond intended boundaries, creating an information leak that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-6701 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the extracted memory contents could contain sensitive user data, application state information, or system configuration details that could aid in further exploitation attempts. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability could potentially reconstruct portions of process memory to gain insights into application internals, user sessions, or even system-level information that could facilitate more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability affects users across multiple Adobe products and operating systems, making it particularly concerning from a security management perspective. Security researchers have noted that this flaw can be exploited remotely through malicious PDF documents, making it a significant threat vector for targeted attacks against organizations using these Adobe applications. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1005 for data from local system, as it enables adversaries to gather sensitive information from the target system's memory space.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-6701 primarily involve applying the official security patches released by Adobe, which address the memory access validation issues within the ambientIlluminationColor property implementation. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected Adobe Reader and Acrobat installations across their enterprise environments, particularly focusing on versions prior to the specified patch levels mentioned in the vulnerability description. Network administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as PDF content filtering and sandboxing mechanisms to reduce the attack surface when dealing with untrusted PDF documents. Security monitoring should include detection of suspicious PDF file handling activities and memory access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management practices in preventing information disclosure attacks, aligning with security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks. Organizations should also consider implementing least privilege access controls and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in their software ecosystems.