CVE-2016-4258 in Digital Editions
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Digital Editions before 4.5.2 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-4256, CVE-2016-4257, CVE-2016-4259, CVE-2016-4260, CVE-2016-4261, and CVE-2016-4262.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2022
Adobe Digital Editions version 4.5.1 and earlier contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution or denial of service attacks through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability represents a distinct security flaw from other related issues affecting the same software version. The memory corruption aspect suggests that attackers can manipulate memory structures within the application process, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution when the vulnerable application processes maliciously crafted content. The vulnerability exists in the software's handling of specific input data or file formats that trigger buffer overflows, heap corruption, or other memory management errors during processing. According to industry standards, this type of vulnerability maps to CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow scenarios. The attack surface likely involves processing of digital content such as e-books, DRM-protected files, or other media formats that Adobe Digital Editions supports. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could potentially execute malicious code with the privileges of the affected user, leading to complete system compromise. The denial of service aspect indicates that even if code execution is not achieved, attackers can crash the application or cause system instability through memory corruption techniques. This vulnerability affects users who have Adobe Digital Editions installed on their systems and are processing potentially malicious content. The specific attack vectors remain undisclosed, which is common for zero-day vulnerabilities, but typically involve crafted files or network-based attacks that trigger the memory corruption during content parsing or rendering. The vulnerability impacts both Windows and macOS platforms where Adobe Digital Editions is supported, making it a cross-platform security concern.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple exploitation to encompass broader security implications for users who rely on Adobe Digital Editions for digital content consumption. Organizations that deploy Adobe Digital Editions in enterprise environments face increased risk of unauthorized code execution on user workstations, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent access or escalate privileges. The memory corruption nature of the vulnerability means that even if attackers cannot directly execute code, they can cause system crashes that disrupt legitimate business operations and user productivity. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter usage, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary commands on compromised systems. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue also relates to ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves local privilege escalation through kernel or system-level vulnerabilities. Users who regularly download or access digital content from untrusted sources face heightened risk, as the attack vectors may involve specially crafted e-books or digital documents that trigger the vulnerable code paths. The vulnerability's presence in Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.1 and earlier versions indicates that the software has not yet implemented sufficient input validation or memory management protections to prevent malicious data from causing system instability or code execution. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as users may unknowingly trigger the exploit while performing routine digital content reading activities.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate software updates to Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.2 or later versions where the memory corruption issues have been addressed. System administrators should implement network segmentation to limit access to potentially malicious content and consider deploying application whitelisting solutions to prevent execution of unauthorized code. Users should disable automatic content downloading and avoid opening e-books or digital documents from untrusted sources until the vulnerability is patched. Security monitoring should focus on detecting unusual memory consumption patterns or application crashes that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's nature suggests that input sanitization and memory boundary checking should be implemented as defensive measures, which aligns with CWE best practices for buffer overflow prevention. Organizations should also consider implementing sandboxing techniques for digital content processing to isolate potential exploitation attempts from the broader system. Network-based detection mechanisms should monitor for traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly when users access digital content from external sources. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patched versions to ensure that the vulnerability is properly addressed without introducing compatibility issues with existing digital content. Additionally, security awareness training should emphasize the risks of opening unknown digital content and the importance of maintaining updated software versions to protect against known vulnerabilities. Regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar memory corruption issues in other software applications that may be equally susceptible to exploitation.