CVE-2017-11275 in Digital Editions
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.4 and earlier has an exploitable heap overflow vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/09/2021
Adobe Digital Editions version 4.5.4 and earlier contains a critical heap overflow vulnerability that represents a significant security risk for users of the software. This vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption flaws and is classified as a heap-based buffer overflow according to the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The flaw occurs when the application processes specially crafted malicious content that exceeds the allocated memory boundaries, potentially allowing attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations with controlled data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper input validation within the digital edition processing pipeline where user-supplied data is not adequately sanitized before being processed by the heap memory management functions. When Adobe Digital Editions encounters malformed or oversized data structures during document parsing or content rendering, the application fails to enforce proper boundary checks, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to potentially gain full control over the victim's system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for various malicious activities including privilege escalation, data exfiltration, and system compromise. Attackers can craft specially designed digital documents or content that trigger the heap overflow when opened by the vulnerable Adobe Digital Editions application. This vulnerability affects users across multiple operating systems including windows and macos platforms, making it a widespread concern for organizations and individual users who rely on the software for digital content management.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with attack patterns described in the attack tree framework where initial access through malicious content can lead to full system compromise. The exploitation of heap overflows in desktop applications like Adobe Digital Editions represents a common attack surface that security teams must monitor closely. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by updating to Adobe Digital Editions version 4.5.5 or later, which includes patches addressing this specific heap overflow vulnerability. Additionally, implementing application whitelisting controls and restricting user permissions for digital content processing can help mitigate potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management practices and input validation in preventing heap-based buffer overflow exploits that have been documented in numerous security advisories and vulnerability databases.