CVE-2016-6996 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-2016-6973, CVE-2016-6974, CVE-2016-6975, CVE-2016-6976, CVE-2016-6977, CVE-2016-6978, CVE-2016-6995, 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 deployment and the complex nature of their codebases. This particular vulnerability CVE-2016-6996 represents a critical memory corruption flaw that affects multiple versions of Adobe's document processing software across both Windows and macOS platforms. The vulnerability exists within the parsing and rendering components of these applications, specifically in how they handle certain file structures and data sequences. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious PDF files that trigger memory corruption when processed by the vulnerable software, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or system crashes.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under memory corruption categories, which typically involve improper handling of memory allocation, deallocation, or access patterns within software applications. This flaw allows attackers to manipulate the memory layout of the running process, potentially overwriting critical data structures or executing malicious code within the context of the vulnerable application. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects both the traditional Acrobat Reader DC Classic and the newer Continuous versions, indicating a widespread issue within Adobe's codebase that spans multiple product lines and release cycles. The affected versions include Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 11.0.18, and specific builds of the DC versions before 15.006.30243 and 15.020.20039 respectively, demonstrating that this was not an isolated incident but rather a systemic issue affecting various release branches.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for enterprise environments where Adobe Reader and Acrobat are extensively deployed for document processing and viewing. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to potentially enable full system compromise when attackers successfully exploit the memory corruption. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction, often just opening a malicious PDF file, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or targeted attacks. Security researchers have noted that such vulnerabilities often serve as initial access points in broader attack chains, where attackers first gain code execution through memory corruption flaws before escalating privileges or moving laterally within networks. The fact that this vulnerability affects both Windows and macOS platforms increases its attack surface significantly, as it can target diverse computing environments within the same organization.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability by updating to the latest versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat as recommended by Adobe's security advisories. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive patch management programs that ensure all systems running these applications are updated promptly. Network segmentation and application whitelisting can provide additional layers of protection by limiting the execution of potentially malicious PDF files. Security monitoring should focus on detecting unusual PDF processing activities or attempts to open suspicious documents. The vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) as attackers may leverage this flaw to establish persistent access or execute additional malicious payloads. Additionally, this vulnerability maps to CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) and CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) categories, highlighting the fundamental memory safety issues that need to be addressed in software development practices. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other software components that may present similar attack vectors.