CVE-2017-16367 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Adobe Acrobat and Reader: 2017.012.20098 and earlier versions, 2017.011.30066 and earlier versions, 2015.006.30355 and earlier versions, and 11.0.22 and earlier versions. This vulnerability is an instance of a type confusion overflow vulnerability. The vulnerability leads to an out of bounds memory access. Attackers can exploit the vulnerability by using the out of bounds access for unintended reads or writes -- potentially leading to code corruption, control-flow hijack, or an information leak attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-16367 represents a critical type confusion overflow flaw affecting multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader software. This issue stems from improper handling of data types during memory operations, creating conditions where the application fails to correctly distinguish between different data structures. The vulnerability manifests in versions including 2017.012.20098 and earlier, 2017.011.30066 and earlier, 2015.006.30355 and earlier, and 11.0.22 and earlier, indicating a widespread impact across Adobe's product lineage. The underlying technical flaw occurs when the software processes malformed input data that causes the interpreter to confuse data types, leading to unpredictable memory access patterns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption, creating severe security implications for affected systems. When exploited, the type confusion results in out-of-bounds memory access that can be leveraged by attackers for information disclosure, code corruption, or complete control-flow hijacking. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform unintended reads or writes to memory locations that should remain protected, potentially allowing for privilege escalation or remote code execution. This type of flaw aligns with CWE-476, which specifically addresses null pointer dereference conditions that can lead to similar memory corruption scenarios. The attack surface is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through normal document processing operations, making exploitation relatively straightforward for threat actors.
Security researchers have categorized this vulnerability within the broader context of memory safety issues that have been extensively documented in the cybersecurity community. The ATT&CK framework would classify this as a memory corruption technique that could be used for privilege escalation and code execution, potentially leading to persistent access within compromised systems. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction since it can be triggered through opening malicious PDF documents, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or targeted attacks. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including patch management, application whitelisting, and network segmentation to limit potential exploitation vectors. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of robust input validation and type checking in software development processes, as highlighted by industry best practices in secure coding standards.