CVE-2016-1129 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 execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-1037, CVE-2016-1063, CVE-2016-1064, CVE-2016-1071, CVE-2016-1072, CVE-2016-1073, CVE-2016-1074, CVE-2016-1076, CVE-2016-1077, CVE-2016-1078, CVE-2016-1080, CVE-2016-1081, CVE-2016-1082, CVE-2016-1083, CVE-2016-1084, CVE-2016-1085, CVE-2016-1086, CVE-2016-1088, CVE-2016-1093, CVE-2016-1095, CVE-2016-1116, CVE-2016-1118, CVE-2016-1119, CVE-2016-1120, CVE-2016-1123, CVE-2016-1124, CVE-2016-1125, CVE-2016-1126, CVE-2016-1127, CVE-2016-1128, CVE-2016-1130, CVE-2016-4088, CVE-2016-4089, CVE-2016-4090, CVE-2016-4093, CVE-2016-4094, CVE-2016-4096, CVE-2016-4097, CVE-2016-4098, CVE-2016-4099, CVE-2016-4100, CVE-2016-4101, CVE-2016-4103, CVE-2016-4104, and CVE-2016-4105.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2024
This vulnerability affects Adobe Reader and Acrobat products across multiple versions, representing a critical memory corruption flaw that enables remote code execution or denial of service conditions. The vulnerability exists within the handling of unspecified vectors in the software's processing mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous as attackers can exploit it through various attack surfaces without specific knowledge of the exact triggering conditions. The affected versions span across legacy releases including 11.0.16 and earlier, as well as specific DC Classic and DC Continuous versions, indicating this represents a long-standing issue that persisted across multiple product generations and operating systems including windows and os x platforms. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue aligns with common attack patterns where improper memory handling allows attackers to manipulate program execution flow through crafted input files.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within Adobe's document processing libraries. When processing maliciously crafted pdf documents or other supported file formats, the application fails to properly validate memory boundaries and buffer operations, leading to potential heap corruption or stack overflow conditions. This type of vulnerability typically falls under the common weakness enumeration category of CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, or CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow scenarios. The memory corruption can manifest in various ways including arbitrary code execution when attackers can control the memory layout or denial of service when the application crashes due to corrupted memory structures. The vulnerability's relationship to other CVEs in the same year demonstrates that Adobe was dealing with a series of memory corruption issues that required comprehensive patching across multiple software components.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to organizations that rely on Adobe Reader and Acrobat for document processing, as it can be exploited through social engineering attacks via malicious pdf attachments in email campaigns or compromised websites. The attack surface is broad given that the vulnerability affects multiple versions and platforms, making it difficult for organizations to maintain complete protection without proper patch management. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability can be exploited in the wild, as evidenced by the widespread exploitation patterns observed in 2016. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially allow full system compromise when attackers can leverage the memory corruption to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application, which typically runs with user privileges but can lead to privilege escalation in certain scenarios.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including mandatory patching of all affected versions to prevent exploitation. The recommended approach involves deploying the latest security updates from adobe as soon as they become available, particularly for the specific version ranges mentioned in the vulnerability description. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of adobe reader and acrobat applications to trusted environments, while also deploying email filtering solutions that can detect and block potentially malicious pdf attachments. Network-based mitigations should include monitoring for suspicious file transfers and implementing sandboxing techniques for pdf processing. The vulnerability's classification under attack techniques such as those described in the mitre att&ck framework, specifically within the initial access and execution phases, indicates that organizations need to focus on both endpoint protection and network monitoring to detect exploitation attempts. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that all systems are properly patched and that the environment remains secure against this and similar memory corruption vulnerabilities.