CVE-2016-7019 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-2016-6996, 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, and CVE-2016-7018.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/19/2024
Adobe Reader and Acrobat products have long been targets for cyber adversaries due to their widespread use and the complex nature of their codebases. This particular vulnerability CVE-2016-7019 represents a critical memory corruption flaw that affects multiple versions of Adobe's document processing software across both Windows and macOS platforms. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions through unspecified attack vectors, making it particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios where adversaries may leverage the memory corruption to gain unauthorized system access. The flaw exists in the parsing and handling of specific document elements within the Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications, creating opportunities for malicious actors to craft specially crafted documents that trigger the vulnerability when opened by affected software versions.
The technical nature of this memory corruption vulnerability aligns with common software security weaknesses documented in the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) catalog under categories related to memory safety issues and buffer overflows. Attackers typically exploit such flaws by manipulating input data to overwrite memory locations, potentially leading to code execution in the context of the vulnerable application. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue places it within the ATT&CK framework's techniques for privilege escalation and code injection, where adversaries leverage application flaws to execute malicious payloads. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the CVE description suggest that the vulnerability may be triggered through multiple attack paths including malformed PDF files, embedded objects, or specific combinations of document features that cause the application to improperly handle memory allocation or deallocation during document processing.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-7019 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as successful exploitation can provide attackers with complete system compromise capabilities. Organizations running affected Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions face significant risk exposure, particularly in environments where users regularly open documents from untrusted sources or where the applications are used in automated processing workflows. The vulnerability's presence in both classic and continuous delivery versions of Adobe Acrobat DC means that organizations must consider their entire software ecosystem when assessing risk, as the same underlying flaw exists across multiple product variants. Security teams must also account for the potential for zero-day exploitation, as the unspecified nature of the attack vectors makes it difficult to implement comprehensive defensive measures without full knowledge of all possible exploitation techniques.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation efforts by updating to patched versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader as soon as possible, with particular attention to the specific version numbers mentioned in the CVE description. The vulnerability's similarity to other CVEs in the same timeframe suggests that attackers may be using coordinated exploitation campaigns targeting multiple Adobe vulnerabilities simultaneously. System administrators should implement network segmentation and application whitelisting to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, while also monitoring for suspicious document handling activities that might indicate attempted exploitation. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify other potential vulnerabilities in the broader Adobe ecosystem, as the presence of one memory corruption flaw often indicates potential for additional related vulnerabilities within the same codebase. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software security patches and implementing layered defensive strategies to protect against sophisticated cyber threats targeting widely used applications.