CVE-2017-11263 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 internal data structure manipulation related to document encoding. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/31/2024
Adobe Acrobat Reader contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability that stems from improper handling of internal data structures during document encoding processes. This vulnerability 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 releases. The flaw occurs when the application processes malformed or specially crafted PDF documents that trigger memory corruption during internal data structure manipulation. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions where an application accesses memory beyond its allocated bounds, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions that can lead to memory corruption. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows for arbitrary code execution, meaning an attacker could potentially run malicious code with the privileges of the victim user. The attack typically involves crafting a malicious PDF file that, when opened by the vulnerable Acrobat Reader version, triggers the memory corruption through improper handling of document encoding structures. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves exploiting software vulnerabilities to gain execution privileges. The operational impact is severe as it enables remote code execution, allowing threat actors to compromise systems without requiring physical access or user interaction beyond opening a malicious document. The memory corruption occurs during the parsing and processing of PDF document elements, specifically when handling encoding parameters that control how data is interpreted and stored in memory. This flaw represents a classic buffer overflow condition where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially leading to stack corruption or heap corruption that can be leveraged for privilege escalation. Organizations using these vulnerable versions face significant risk as the vulnerability can be exploited through social engineering campaigns that distribute malicious PDF files via email attachments or compromised websites. The exploitation process typically requires the victim to open a specially crafted PDF document, making this a prevalent attack vector for phishing campaigns and targeted attacks against enterprise environments. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and memory management practices within Adobe's document processing libraries, highlighting the importance of robust bounds checking and memory safety mechanisms. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability represents a high-severity threat that requires immediate remediation through official Adobe patches and updates. The underlying issue reflects common software security weaknesses that persist in complex applications handling untrusted input data, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing and code review processes. Organizations should implement network segmentation and email filtering to prevent delivery of malicious PDF files while simultaneously deploying patch management solutions to ensure timely update deployment across all affected systems. This vulnerability also underscores the importance of keeping legacy software versions updated, as older versions often contain unpatched security flaws that remain attractive targets for attackers due to their widespread use and known exploitation methods.