CVE-2017-11259 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 image conversion engine when processing Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF) private data. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/31/2024
This vulnerability resides in Adobe Acrobat Reader's image conversion engine which processes Enhanced Metafile Format EMF private data structures. The flaw manifests as a memory corruption issue that occurs during the parsing of EMF private data within the software's rendering pipeline. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader including 2017.009.20058 and earlier, 2017.008.30051 and earlier, 2015.006.30306 and earlier, and 11.0.20 and earlier releases. The memory corruption vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking and input validation within the EMF processing code path, creating an exploitable condition that allows attackers to manipulate memory layout and execution flow.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper handling of EMF private data structures during image conversion operations. When the software encounters malformed EMF data containing crafted private data sections, the parsing logic fails to validate array bounds and memory access patterns properly. This leads to buffer overflows or heap corruption conditions that can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and CWE-125, out-of-bounds read, as the memory corruption occurs during data processing operations. The attack vector requires the victim to open a maliciously crafted document containing the vulnerable EMF data, making this a common vector for social engineering attacks.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to enterprise environments where Adobe Acrobat Reader is widely deployed. Successful exploitation allows attackers to gain arbitrary code execution capabilities on target systems, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability's exploitation can result in data exfiltration, persistence mechanisms installation, and lateral movement within networks. Organizations running affected versions face potential unauthorized access to sensitive documents and information systems. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version lines increases the attack surface and complicates remediation efforts. Security teams must consider the risk of exploitation in targeted attacks, especially in environments where users frequently open documents from untrusted sources. This vulnerability can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected Adobe Acrobat Reader versions to the latest available security updates from Adobe. Organizations should implement document filtering policies that prevent opening of potentially malicious EMF files or documents from untrusted sources. Network-based intrusion detection systems can be configured to detect suspicious EMF data patterns, though this approach has limited effectiveness due to the nature of the vulnerability. User education regarding the dangers of opening unknown or unexpected documents remains crucial in reducing exploitation success rates. System hardening measures including application whitelisting, sandboxing, and privilege separation can reduce the impact of successful exploitation attempts. Security monitoring should focus on detecting unusual document processing activities and potential memory corruption indicators within Acrobat Reader processes. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of regular security updates and proper input validation in preventing memory corruption exploits, particularly in software handling complex binary formats and document rendering operations.