CVE-2017-11278 in Digital Editions
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Digital Editions 4.5.4 and earlier has an exploitable memory corruption 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 memory corruption vulnerability that presents a significant security risk to users of the software. This vulnerability falls under the category of heap-based buffer overflows as identified by CWE-122, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to write beyond allocated memory boundaries. The flaw manifests when the application processes specially crafted EPUB files or other digital content formats that trigger improper memory handling during parsing operations. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it enables remote code execution, allowing attackers to gain full control over affected systems without requiring user interaction beyond opening the malicious file.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper input validation within the document parsing engine of Adobe Digital Editions. When processing malformed or specially crafted digital documents, the software fails to properly validate the size and structure of memory allocations, leading to buffer overflow conditions that can be exploited to overwrite critical memory segments. This memory corruption occurs during the parsing of XML elements or embedded content within digital publications, where the application does not adequately check the length of data being read into fixed-size buffers. The vulnerability is classified as a remote code execution flaw because it can be triggered through network-based attacks without requiring physical access to the target system, making it particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to compromise user devices.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it creates a persistent threat vector for attackers to establish persistent access to compromised systems. Once exploited, the vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user, potentially leading to full system compromise, data exfiltration, or deployment of additional malware. The attack surface is broad as Adobe Digital Editions is widely used for reading digital books and publications, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to distribute malware through seemingly legitimate digital content. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation would enable attackers to execute commands through the compromised application. The risk is amplified by the fact that users may unknowingly open malicious digital documents while performing routine reading activities, making this vulnerability particularly insidious.
Organizations and individual users should immediately implement mitigation strategies to protect against exploitation of this vulnerability. The primary recommendation is to update to Adobe Digital Editions version 4.5.5 or later, which includes patches addressing the memory corruption issues. System administrators should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of unauthorized software, and deploy network monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additional protective measures include configuring sandboxing environments for digital content processing, implementing strict file validation policies for digital publications, and conducting regular security assessments to identify potential attack vectors. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against memory corruption exploits that can lead to complete system compromise.