CVE-2015-6702 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
The createSquareMesh function 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 invalid arguments, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-6697, CVE-2015-6699, CVE-2015-6700, CVE-2015-6701, CVE-2015-6703, and CVE-2015-6704.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-6702 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Adobe Reader and Acrobat products that affects multiple versions across different operating systems. This vulnerability specifically resides within the createSquareMesh function, which is part of Adobe's PDF processing engine. The flaw manifests when the function receives invalid arguments, leading to improper memory handling that allows attackers to extract sensitive data from the application's process memory. This particular vulnerability operates independently from several other related issues including CVE-2015-6697 through CVE-2015-6704, indicating a distinct code path and exploitation vector that requires separate mitigation approaches.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the createSquareMesh function, which is responsible for generating mesh structures in PDF documents. When malformed or unexpected arguments are passed to this function, the memory management routines fail to properly handle the invalid inputs, resulting in memory leaks or information disclosure. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-20, which specifically addresses "Improper Input Validation," and represents a classic example of how insufficient parameter checking can lead to memory exposure. The function's failure to properly sanitize input parameters creates a condition where attackers can manipulate the memory layout of the process to extract potentially sensitive information such as stack contents, heap data, or other process-specific information that could be valuable for further exploitation attempts.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations that rely on Adobe Reader and Acrobat for document processing and viewing. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain insights into the memory structure of running processes, which could potentially reveal information about the application's internal state, memory addresses, or other sensitive data that might aid in developing more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability affects multiple product versions including Adobe Reader 10.x before 10.1.16 and 11.x before 11.0.13, as well as various versions of Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic and Continuous. This widespread impact across different product lines and release versions demonstrates the fundamental nature of the flaw within Adobe's PDF processing implementation.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under the Information Gathering phase, specifically targeting memory disclosure capabilities that could enable adversaries to understand system memory layout and potentially identify other vulnerabilities. The threat landscape for this vulnerability includes both automated scanning tools that look for known exploit patterns and sophisticated attackers who might use the information disclosure as a stepping stone for more complex attacks. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure, while also ensuring that all Adobe products are updated to the latest versions that contain the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. The security community has recognized this issue as part of a broader category of memory safety vulnerabilities that affect PDF processing libraries and similar document rendering engines.