CVE-2016-6954 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.18, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic before 15.006.30243, and Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Continuous before 15.020.20039 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-2016-6940, CVE-2016-6941, CVE-2016-6942, CVE-2016-6943, CVE-2016-6947, CVE-2016-6948, CVE-2016-6950, CVE-2016-6951, CVE-2016-6955, CVE-2016-6956, CVE-2016-6959, CVE-2016-6960, CVE-2016-6966, CVE-2016-6970, CVE-2016-6972, CVE-2016-6973, CVE-2016-6974, CVE-2016-6975, CVE-2016-6976, CVE-2016-6977, CVE-2016-6978, CVE-2016-6995, CVE-2016-6996, CVE-2016-6997, CVE-2016-6998, CVE-2016-7000, CVE-2016-7001, CVE-2016-7002, CVE-2016-7003, CVE-2016-7004, CVE-2016-7005, CVE-2016-7006, CVE-2016-7007, CVE-2016-7008, CVE-2016-7009, CVE-2016-7010, CVE-2016-7011, CVE-2016-7012, CVE-2016-7013, CVE-2016-7014, CVE-2016-7015, CVE-2016-7016, CVE-2016-7017, CVE-2016-7018, and CVE-2016-7019.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2022
Adobe Reader and Acrobat products have long been prime targets for cyber adversaries due to their widespread use in document processing and the complex nature of their codebases. This particular vulnerability affects multiple versions across different product lines including legacy versions 11.0.18 and earlier, as well as various releases of Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC Classic and Continuous. The flaw manifests as a memory corruption issue that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions, representing a critical security weakness that directly impacts system integrity and availability. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue aligns with common attack patterns described in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and execution techniques, where adversaries leverage software flaws to gain unauthorized code execution capabilities.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves unspecified vectors that lead to memory corruption, suggesting that attackers can manipulate memory structures within the application's runtime environment to achieve their objectives. Memory corruption vulnerabilities typically arise from improper handling of memory allocation, deallocation, or buffer management within software applications. These issues can occur through various mechanisms including buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or heap corruption scenarios. The fact that this vulnerability is distinct from several other CVEs in the same timeframe indicates that it represents a unique code path or implementation flaw that was not addressed by the patches for the related vulnerabilities. The presence of multiple affected versions across different product lines demonstrates that this was likely a fundamental architectural or coding issue that persisted across the product's evolution rather than a one-off bug.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations that rely on Adobe Reader and Acrobat for document processing, as these applications are frequently used to open files from untrusted sources. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious PDF files that trigger the memory corruption when opened by the vulnerable software, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability's potential for arbitrary code execution means that successful exploitation could allow threat actors to install malware, steal data, or establish persistent access to affected systems. Organizations with extensive use of these applications face a high risk of exploitation, particularly in environments where users regularly open PDF documents from external sources or where document sharing occurs across network boundaries. The denial of service component adds another dimension to the threat, as attackers could potentially disrupt business operations by causing application crashes or system instability.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of all affected Adobe Reader and Acrobat installations across the organization, as well as implementing additional security controls to reduce the attack surface. Network segmentation and email filtering solutions should be enhanced to prevent potentially malicious PDF files from reaching end users, while user education programs should emphasize the importance of only opening documents from trusted sources. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict the execution of Adobe Reader and Acrobat to trusted environments only, and deploy endpoint protection solutions that can detect and block exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-122, which covers buffer overflow vulnerabilities, making it a critical target for both immediate remediation and long-term security hardening efforts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining unpatched systems and ensure comprehensive protection against similar threats.