CVE-2017-11237 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 font parsing module. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11237 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Adobe Acrobat Reader's font parsing functionality that affects multiple versions of the software. This issue resides in the handling of font data structures during document processing, specifically when the application parses font files embedded within pdf documents. The vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking and memory management practices within the font parsing module, which is responsible for interpreting and rendering various font types including embedded fonts that are commonly found in professional documents. The flaw manifests when the application attempts to process malformed or specially crafted font data that exceeds expected memory boundaries, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential code execution.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with common software security weaknesses categorized under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious pdf documents containing malformed font data that triggers the memory corruption when the reader attempts to render the document. The exploitation process typically involves creating a specially constructed font table or font structure that causes the parsing routine to write data beyond allocated memory regions, potentially overwriting critical program variables or function pointers. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through normal document viewing operations without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond opening the malicious file.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-11237 extends significantly beyond simple document rendering issues, as successful exploitation enables remote code execution capabilities that align with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation for execution through the use of malicious documents. Organizations that rely heavily on Adobe Acrobat Reader for document processing face substantial risk from this vulnerability, as it can be leveraged to compromise endpoints through social engineering attacks targeting document sharing. The vulnerability affects not only the most recent versions of Acrobat Reader but also older releases, indicating that the flaw has existed for an extended period and has been widely deployed across enterprise environments. The memory corruption behavior allows attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the application, which typically runs with standard user permissions but can still provide access to sensitive data and system resources.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action from organizations to patch their Acrobat Reader installations to the latest versions that contain the necessary security fixes. Adobe released patches addressing this vulnerability in subsequent updates to their Acrobat Reader software, and administrators should prioritize deployment of these updates across all affected systems. Additional protective measures include implementing document scanning and filtering solutions that can detect and block malicious pdf files before they reach end users, utilizing sandboxing technologies to isolate document processing, and establishing network-based security controls that monitor for suspicious pdf file transfers. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of keeping software updated and implementing defense-in-depth strategies, as the exploitation of such flaws can lead to complete system compromise. Organizations should also consider implementing user education programs to raise awareness about the risks of opening unexpected pdf documents and the importance of verifying document sources before processing them with Acrobat Reader.