CVE-2017-11240 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2017.012.20098 and earlier, 2017.011.30066 and earlier, 2015.006.30355 and earlier, 11.0.22 and earlier have an exploitable out-of-bounds read vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/07/2020
Adobe Acrobat and Reader contain a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that affects multiple versions across different release cycles. This vulnerability resides in the handling of PDF documents and represents a classic memory corruption flaw that can be exploited by remote attackers. The flaw manifests when the software processes malformed PDF files that contain specially crafted data structures designed to trigger buffer over-read conditions during parsing operations. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-125 as an out-of-bounds read, which occurs when software attempts to access memory locations beyond the boundaries of allocated buffers. This particular issue affects Adobe Acrobat versions 2017.012.20098 and earlier, 2017.011.30066 and earlier, 2015.006.30355 and earlier, and 11.0.22 and earlier, making it a widespread concern across several major release lines. The technical implementation involves improper bounds checking during PDF object parsing, particularly when processing complex data structures such as arrays or dictionaries that exceed expected size limitations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 which describes exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and code execution. When successfully exploited, an attacker can execute arbitrary code within the context of the current user account, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The out-of-bounds read allows attackers to access memory locations that should not be accessible, potentially enabling information disclosure, denial of service, or more dangerous code execution scenarios. This vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be triggered through simple document interaction, making it highly exploitable in phishing campaigns or malicious document delivery attacks. The attack surface is broad as it affects both desktop and mobile versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat, and the vulnerability can be exploited without requiring user interaction beyond opening a malicious PDF file. The memory corruption aspect of this flaw means that attackers can potentially manipulate program execution flow by overwriting critical memory segments or by reading sensitive data from adjacent memory locations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching and implementation of defensive measures. Adobe has released security updates addressing this issue in subsequent versions, and organizations must prioritize deployment of these patches across all affected systems. Network segmentation and email filtering can provide additional protection by preventing initial access through malicious PDF attachments. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and proper memory management in document processing software, aligning with security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks. Organizations should implement application whitelisting to restrict execution of untrusted PDF files and consider sandboxing PDF viewers to limit potential damage from exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the need for regular security assessments of commonly used software applications, as these types of memory corruption flaws often remain undetected for extended periods due to their subtle nature and the complexity of PDF parsing operations. Continuous monitoring and incident response procedures should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability.