CVE-2016-1057 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.16, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30172, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.016.20039 on Windows and OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-1045, CVE-2016-1046, CVE-2016-1047, CVE-2016-1048, CVE-2016-1049, CVE-2016-1050, CVE-2016-1051, CVE-2016-1052, CVE-2016-1053, CVE-2016-1054, CVE-2016-1055, CVE-2016-1056, CVE-2016-1058, CVE-2016-1059, CVE-2016-1060, CVE-2016-1061, CVE-2016-1065, CVE-2016-1066, CVE-2016-1067, CVE-2016-1068, CVE-2016-1069, CVE-2016-1070, CVE-2016-1075, CVE-2016-1094, CVE-2016-1121, CVE-2016-1122, CVE-2016-4102, and CVE-2016-4107.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2024
The CVE-2016-1057 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw affecting Adobe Reader and Acrobat products across multiple versions and operating systems. This vulnerability specifically impacts Adobe Reader versions prior to 11.0.16, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic versions before 15.006.30172, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous versions before 15.016.20039 on both Windows and OS X platforms. The flaw enables remote code execution through unspecified attack vectors, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where these applications are commonly deployed. The vulnerability operates independently from a series of other related issues including CVE-2016-1045 through CVE-2016-1075, CVE-2016-1094, CVE-2016-1121, CVE-2016-1122, CVE-2016-4102, and CVE-2016-4107, which indicates this represents a distinct and separate code path within Adobe's PDF processing libraries.
The technical nature of this use-after-free vulnerability stems from improper memory management within Adobe's PDF parsing routines. When processing specially crafted PDF documents, the application fails to properly validate memory references, leading to a scenario where freed memory locations are accessed after being deallocated. This memory corruption condition creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate program execution flow and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the victim user. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software applications. These memory management errors are particularly perilous because they can be exploited through social engineering attacks where users are tricked into opening malicious PDF files, often delivered through email attachments or compromised websites.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-1057 extends beyond simple code execution capabilities to encompass significant enterprise security risks. Organizations relying on Adobe Reader and Acrobat for document processing face potential compromise of their entire network infrastructure, as successful exploitation could lead to complete system takeover. The vulnerability's presence in both classic and continuous delivery models of Adobe Acrobat DC creates an extended attack surface across different deployment scenarios. Security professionals must consider that attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors, escalate privileges, or conduct data exfiltration operations. The attack vectors typically involve phishing campaigns targeting end users or supply chain compromises where malicious PDF documents are embedded within legitimate business processes, making detection particularly challenging.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-1057 require immediate patch management actions including updating to the latest versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat as specified in the advisory. Organizations should implement network segmentation and application whitelisting policies to limit PDF document processing capabilities to trusted environments only. The implementation of email filtering solutions and web proxies can help prevent delivery of malicious PDF attachments to end users. Security teams should also consider deploying endpoint detection and response solutions that can monitor for anomalous memory access patterns or code execution behaviors that may indicate exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving exploitation for privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms, with potential TTPs including execution through malicious documents and privilege escalation through memory corruption. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include verification of Adobe product versions to ensure compliance with security baselines and prevent exploitation of this and related vulnerabilities.