CVE-2016-1079 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
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 allow attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-1092.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2024
This vulnerability affects Adobe Reader and Acrobat products across multiple versions, specifically targeting Windows and macOS operating systems. The issue represents a memory disclosure flaw that allows remote attackers to extract sensitive information from process memory, potentially exposing confidential data that should remain protected within application processes. The vulnerability operates through unspecified vectors that differ from CVE-2016-1092, indicating a distinct attack surface within the software architecture. Such memory disclosure vulnerabilities are particularly concerning because they can provide attackers with access to cryptographic keys, user credentials, or other sensitive data that resides in memory during application execution. The affected versions include legacy releases of Adobe Reader and Acrobat, as well as specific builds of the DC Classic and DC Continuous editions, highlighting the widespread nature of this memory protection weakness.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability likely involves improper memory management or insufficient input validation within the PDF processing components of Adobe's software suite. Attackers can exploit this weakness to perform memory reads that should normally be restricted, potentially accessing data structures containing sensitive information such as encryption keys, user session tokens, or internal application state. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure, where the attacker can extract data that should remain confidential within the application's memory space. The unspecified vectors suggest that the flaw may be triggered through various means including malformed PDF files, specific JavaScript execution contexts, or other input processing pathways that lead to unauthorized memory access patterns. This vulnerability demonstrates poor memory isolation practices and inadequate protection mechanisms for sensitive data stored in process memory.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the extracted memory contents could enable more sophisticated attacks including credential theft, session hijacking, or cryptographic key compromise. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability could gain insights into the internal workings of the application, potentially identifying additional weaknesses or patterns that could lead to further exploitation. The memory disclosure could reveal stack traces, heap contents, or other debugging information that would normally be protected from external access. This information could be particularly valuable for advanced persistent threat actors or sophisticated attackers looking to develop more targeted exploits. The vulnerability affects both desktop and mobile versions of Adobe's products, creating a broad attack surface that could impact organizations using these widely deployed applications across their enterprise environments.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions to mitigate this memory disclosure risk. The recommended remediation involves updating to the latest versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat, specifically versions 11.0.16, 15.006.30172, or 15.016.20039 respectively, which contain fixes for this vulnerability. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all affected endpoints receive updates promptly. Additional defensive measures include network segmentation to limit access to PDF processing applications, implementing application whitelisting policies, and monitoring for unusual memory access patterns or suspicious PDF file processing activities. Security teams should also consider deploying endpoint detection and response solutions that can identify anomalous memory access behaviors indicative of exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with attack patterns described in the attack technique T1059 for execution through scripting and T1005 for data from local system, making it particularly relevant for organizations following MITRE ATT&CK framework for threat modeling and defense planning. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management practices and highlights the need for regular security assessments of commonly used software applications that handle sensitive data processing tasks.