CVE-2015-7617 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability 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 execute arbitrary code by leveraging improper EScript exception handling, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5586, CVE-2015-6683, CVE-2015-6684, CVE-2015-6687, CVE-2015-6688, CVE-2015-6689, CVE-2015-6690, CVE-2015-6691, CVE-2015-7615, and CVE-2015-7621.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/23/2024
This use-after-free vulnerability exists in Adobe Reader and Acrobat products across multiple versions and platforms, representing a critical memory safety issue that can be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution. The flaw specifically manifests during improper EScript exception handling within the document processing pipeline, where freed memory objects are accessed after their intended lifecycle has ended. The vulnerability affects Adobe Reader versions 10.x before 10.1.16 and 11.x before 11.0.13, as well as various Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC releases, making it particularly dangerous due to the widespread adoption of these software products. The technical implementation involves a race condition where exception handling code attempts to access memory that has already been deallocated, creating a predictable exploitation vector for malicious actors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it provides attackers with full system compromise capabilities through a well-established exploitation technique. When an attacker crafts a malicious PDF document containing specially crafted EScript code, the improper exception handling triggers the use-after-free condition, allowing the attacker to control program execution flow and inject malicious payloads. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, and demonstrates how improper memory management in application frameworks can lead to complete system compromise. The exploitation process leverages the attacker's ability to manipulate the document parsing sequence, where exception handling routines are invoked during memory deallocation, creating an opportunity for code injection attacks.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as part of a broader attack pattern targeting PDF processing engines, similar to other CVEs in the same timeframe that exploited memory corruption issues. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that PDF documents are commonly used in enterprise environments and can be delivered through email, web downloads, or malicious websites. Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense including email filtering, web proxy controls, and regular patch management to prevent exploitation. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation of remote services, highlights the importance of maintaining updated software versions and implementing network segmentation to limit potential lateral movement. Additionally, the use of sandboxing technologies and restricted user privileges can significantly reduce the impact of successful exploitation attempts, as the attacker would need to overcome additional security controls to achieve persistent access to the compromised system.