CVE-2016-4262 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-2016-4258, CVE-2016-4259, CVE-2016-4260, and CVE-2016-4261.
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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 CVEs in the same year, indicating a separate code path or component within the software that requires independent analysis and remediation. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory operations during the processing of digital content, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate memory structures through crafted input or malformed digital documents. The memory corruption aspect suggests that the application fails to properly validate or sanitize input data, leading to buffer overflows, heap corruption, or other memory management issues that can be exploited by malicious actors. This type of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-121 for buffer overflow conditions or CWE-122 for insufficient synchronization, depending on the specific implementation details of how memory is handled during document processing. The attack surface for this vulnerability extends to any user who processes digital content through Adobe Digital Editions, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users might encounter untrusted or maliciously crafted digital publications. From an operational perspective, successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user, or cause denial of service conditions that prevent legitimate users from accessing their digital content. The vulnerability impacts the core functionality of the application, as it affects how the software processes and renders digital publications, potentially enabling attackers to bypass security controls or escalate privileges within the user environment.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several tactics described in the ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to execution and privilege escalation. Attackers could leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized code execution on systems running vulnerable versions of Adobe Digital Editions, potentially using techniques such as code injection or memory corruption exploitation methods. The vulnerability's presence in the digital publishing processing pipeline makes it particularly concerning for organizations that rely heavily on digital content distribution, as it could be exploited through seemingly legitimate digital publications or documents. Security researchers have identified that this vulnerability is likely related to how the application handles memory allocation and deallocation during content rendering, suggesting that the issue may be present in the underlying libraries or components used for parsing digital formats such as epub or pdf files. The lack of specific vector details in the CVE description indicates that the vulnerability could be triggered through multiple attack paths, potentially including malformed file processing, network-based attacks, or even social engineering scenarios where users are tricked into opening maliciously crafted digital content.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by updating to Adobe Digital Editions version 4.5.2 or later, which contains patches addressing this memory corruption vulnerability. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all instances of the software are updated across the enterprise, particularly in environments where users might encounter digital content from external sources. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts through unusual memory access patterns or process behavior that might indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting controls to restrict execution of Adobe Digital Editions to trusted environments and content sources, reducing the attack surface for potential exploitation. The vulnerability's potential for remote code execution makes it particularly critical to address promptly, as attackers could potentially leverage it to establish persistent access to systems or deploy additional malicious payloads. Regular security assessments should be conducted to identify any other instances of Adobe Digital Editions or related components that might be running on the network and require updating. Incident response procedures should be updated to include detection and response protocols for this specific vulnerability, ensuring that security teams are prepared to respond effectively if exploitation attempts are detected in the environment. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as sandboxing or virtualization of digital content processing to provide additional layers of protection against exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities in third-party applications.