CVE-2017-11230 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat Reader 2017.009.20058 and earlier, 2017.008.30051 and earlier, 2015.006.30306 and earlier, and 11.0.20 and earlier has an exploitable memory corruption vulnerability in the JPEG 2000 engine. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/30/2024
Adobe Acrobat Reader contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability within its JPEG 2000 image processing engine that affects multiple versions including 2017.009.20058 and earlier, 2017.008.30051 and earlier, 2015.006.30306 and earlier, and 11.0.20 and earlier. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of malformed JPEG 2000 image data during the decoding process, creating opportunities for buffer overflow conditions that can be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. The flaw manifests when the application processes specially crafted JPEG 2000 files that contain malformed data structures, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for privilege escalation or complete system compromise. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read errors that can lead to memory corruption. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it can be triggered through simple document opening operations, making it an ideal candidate for phishing campaigns and social engineering attacks where users might unknowingly open malicious attachments or embedded documents. The operational impact extends beyond individual user systems as successful exploitation can provide attackers with persistent access to target environments, potentially enabling lateral movement within networks and data exfiltration operations. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script interpreter, as exploitation can lead to execution of arbitrary code through the compromised application process. The memory corruption occurs during image decompression when the JPEG 2000 decoder fails to properly validate input parameters, allowing attackers to manipulate memory layout and potentially overwrite critical program structures. Given the widespread adoption of Adobe Acrobat Reader across enterprise environments, this vulnerability presents a significant risk for organizations that have not yet patched their systems. The exploitation requires minimal user interaction beyond opening a malicious document, making it particularly dangerous for targeted attacks against high-value targets or organizations with less stringent patch management procedures. Security researchers have noted that the vulnerability's exploitability is enhanced by the fact that it does not require user interaction beyond document opening, unlike many other memory corruption vulnerabilities that require more complex attack vectors. Organizations should prioritize immediate patch deployment as the primary mitigation strategy, while also implementing network-based protections such as email filtering and web application firewalls to prevent delivery of malicious documents containing the vulnerable JPEG 2000 content. Additionally, user education regarding suspicious document attachments and the importance of keeping software updated remains crucial in defending against this class of vulnerability. The vulnerability demonstrates the ongoing challenges in image processing libraries where complex codecs can introduce significant security risks, particularly when legacy code is not properly audited for memory safety issues. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of untrusted PDF documents and establish monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts through unusual process behavior or memory access patterns.