CVE-2016-4212 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-2016-4199, 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-2016-4213, 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 • 10/02/2024
Adobe Reader and Acrobat products have long been targeted by 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 different operating systems, creating a significant attack surface for threat actors. The flaw manifests as a memory corruption issue that can be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause denial of service conditions, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where these applications are commonly used for document handling and sharing.
The technical nature of CVE-2016-4212 involves unspecified vectors that trigger memory corruption within the Adobe applications, which is classified under CWE-125 as "Out-of-bounds Read" and potentially CWE-787 as "Out-of-bounds Write." Memory corruption vulnerabilities in document processing applications are particularly severe because they often occur during parsing of untrusted input data such as PDF files. The vulnerability exists in the way these applications handle certain PDF elements or structures, allowing attackers to craft malicious documents that, when opened, trigger buffer overflows or other memory management issues.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on Adobe Reader and Acrobat for business operations. The attack vector typically involves social engineering campaigns where users are tricked into opening malicious PDF files through email attachments, web downloads, or compromised websites. The exploitation can lead to complete system compromise, as successful exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the victim user. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and potentially T1068 for Exploitation for Privilege Escalation.
The impact extends beyond individual user systems to enterprise networks, as PDF files are frequently shared across organizations and often contain embedded scripts or objects that can trigger the vulnerability. Organizations using older versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader are particularly vulnerable since these products had not yet received patches for this specific issue. The vulnerability's presence across multiple product lines including both legacy and newer DC versions indicates a persistent flaw in Adobe's codebase that required immediate attention and patching to prevent exploitation.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of Adobe's security patches for all affected versions, as well as implementing network-based controls such as PDF file filtering and sandboxing solutions. Security teams should also conduct user awareness training to recognize potential social engineering attempts that may lead to exploitation. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of untrusted PDF files and maintain updated threat intelligence feeds to monitor for related attack patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against document-based attacks that leverage memory corruption flaws in widely used applications.