CVE-2016-6973 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-2016-6954, CVE-2016-6955, CVE-2016-6956, CVE-2016-6959, CVE-2016-6960, CVE-2016-6966, CVE-2016-6970, CVE-2016-6972, 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 • 10/18/2024
Adobe Reader and Acrobat products have long been prime targets for cyber adversaries due to their widespread use in document processing and their complex codebases that present numerous potential attack surfaces. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6973 represents a critical memory corruption flaw that affects multiple versions of Adobe's document processing software across Windows and macOS platforms. This vulnerability falls under the category of remote code execution flaws, where attackers can potentially exploit the memory corruption to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The flaw is particularly concerning because it allows for privilege escalation and system compromise without requiring user interaction, making it highly attractive to threat actors seeking persistent access to target environments.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves memory corruption issues that occur during the processing of maliciously crafted PDF documents. Attackers can construct PDF files that trigger buffer overflows, heap corruption, or other memory management errors within Adobe's document rendering engine. These memory corruption vulnerabilities typically arise from insufficient input validation and improper memory handling when parsing complex PDF structures. The vulnerability is classified as a memory corruption issue that can lead to either arbitrary code execution or denial of service conditions, depending on the specific exploitation vector. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability would likely map to CWE-121, CWE-122, or CWE-125, which represent stack-based buffer overflow, heap-based buffer overflow, and out-of-bounds read/write conditions respectively. The exploitation of such vulnerabilities typically follows the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, where adversaries leverage the memory corruption to execute malicious payloads.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-6973 extends far beyond individual system compromise, as Adobe Reader and Acrobat are extensively used across enterprise environments for document sharing, contract signing, and business communication. Organizations that rely heavily on PDF processing are particularly vulnerable to attacks exploiting this flaw, as it can be triggered through simple email attachments or web-based document delivery mechanisms. The vulnerability's presence in both legacy and modern versions of Adobe products means that organizations cannot simply dismiss older versions as non-issues, as the flaw persists across multiple product lines and update cycles. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with heterogeneous IT environments where patch management may be inconsistent or delayed. The potential for denial of service attacks means that attackers can also disrupt business operations by causing applications to crash or become unresponsive, leading to productivity losses and operational downtime.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to protect against exploitation of this vulnerability. Immediate remediation through patching is critical, as Adobe released updates addressing this specific memory corruption issue in versions 11.0.18, 15.006.30243, and 15.020.20039 respectively. Network segmentation and email filtering should be enhanced to prevent potentially malicious PDF attachments from reaching end users, while application whitelisting can help restrict execution of unauthorized code. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual process behavior or memory access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue means that traditional antivirus solutions may not detect exploitation attempts, requiring more sophisticated behavioral analysis and endpoint detection capabilities. Incident response procedures should be updated to include specific protocols for handling potential exploitation attempts, including system isolation and forensic analysis capabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing sandboxing techniques for PDF processing and establishing baseline system states to better detect compromise through memory-based attacks. The remediation process should be prioritized based on risk assessment of affected systems, with critical infrastructure and high-value targets receiving immediate attention.