CVE-2016-4199 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.17, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30198, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.017.20050 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-2016-4191, CVE-2016-4192, CVE-2016-4193, CVE-2016-4194, CVE-2016-4195, CVE-2016-4196, CVE-2016-4197, CVE-2016-4198, CVE-2016-4200, CVE-2016-4201, CVE-2016-4202, CVE-2016-4203, CVE-2016-4204, CVE-2016-4205, CVE-2016-4206, CVE-2016-4207, CVE-2016-4208, CVE-2016-4211, CVE-2016-4212, CVE-2016-4213, CVE-2016-4214, CVE-2016-4250, CVE-2016-4251, CVE-2016-4252, and CVE-2016-4254.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2022
Adobe Reader and Acrobat products have long been prime targets for cyber adversaries due to their widespread deployment and the complex nature of PDF processing. This particular vulnerability affects multiple versions of Adobe's document viewers and editors across both Windows and macOS platforms. The flaw represents a memory corruption issue that can be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause denial of service conditions, making it a significant concern for enterprise security. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption flaw aligns with common attack patterns that leverage buffer overflows or heap corruption techniques to gain unauthorized system access.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves unspecified attack vectors that differ from several other related CVEs in the same advisory cycle, indicating a distinct exploitation pathway. Memory corruption vulnerabilities typically arise from improper handling of memory allocation, deallocation, or bounds checking during PDF parsing operations. When processing malformed PDF files or specific embedded objects, the affected Adobe applications fail to properly validate input data, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged by attackers. This type of vulnerability often manifests through stack or heap corruption that allows attackers to overwrite critical program memory locations or execute malicious code in the context of the running application.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations that rely on Adobe Reader for document processing and sharing. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor installation. Attackers can craft malicious PDF documents that trigger the vulnerability when opened by unsuspecting users, making this a particularly dangerous threat vector for social engineering campaigns. The widespread deployment of Adobe Reader across enterprise environments means that a single compromised system can potentially provide attackers with access to sensitive organizational data.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems, as Adobe released security updates for all supported versions of Reader and Acrobat. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive application whitelisting policies to prevent execution of untrusted PDF files, along with user education about the risks of opening suspicious documents. Network-based protections such as intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts, while endpoint protection solutions should be configured to monitor for suspicious memory access patterns. Security teams should also implement regular vulnerability scanning to identify systems running unsupported versions that may be vulnerable to this and related exploits. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining current security patches and the potential consequences of delayed remediation in enterprise environments where Adobe Reader remains a widely used application for document processing and collaboration.