CVE-2017-11268 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 JPEG data. 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 in its image conversion engine that specifically affects processing of Enhanced Metafile Format EMF files containing private JPEG data. This vulnerability resides within the software's handling of image formats and represents a classic buffer overflow condition that can be triggered through maliciously crafted EMF files. The flaw exists in the way the application parses and converts EMF private JPEG data, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to manipulate memory layout and execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. 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, indicating a long-standing issue within the software's image processing pipeline. This memory corruption vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage in exploitation scenarios. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it requires no user interaction beyond opening a malicious file, making it a prime candidate for phishing attacks and drive-by downloads. When exploited, this vulnerability allows remote code execution with the privileges of the user running the application, potentially enabling full system compromise. The exploitation mechanism leverages the image conversion engine's failure to properly validate input data length and memory allocation, creating opportunities for attackers to overwrite critical memory segments. Security researchers have identified that this vulnerability can be exploited through crafted EMF files that contain malicious private JPEG data, where the embedded data triggers the vulnerable code path during file processing. The impact extends beyond simple code execution as successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise, data theft, and persistence mechanisms. Organizations using affected versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader face significant risk due to the widespread adoption of this software in enterprise environments and the ease with which this vulnerability can be exploited through social engineering attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and proper memory management in image processing libraries, as the issue affects not just Adobe Reader but potentially other applications that utilize similar image conversion engines. Mitigation efforts should prioritize immediate patching of affected versions, implementation of application whitelisting policies, and network-based protections such as email filtering and web application firewalls to prevent delivery of malicious EMF files. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms for PDF and image file processing to contain potential exploitation attempts and limit the impact of successful attacks. The vulnerability underscores the critical need for regular security updates and proper software lifecycle management to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities in widely deployed applications.