CVE-2017-16375 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 issue is due to an untrusted pointer dereference in the JavaSscript API engine. In this scenario, the JavaScript input is crafted in way that the computation results in pointers to memory locations that do not belong to the relevant process address space. The dereferencing operation is a read operation, and an attack can result in sensitive data exposure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2024
This vulnerability resides in Adobe Acrobat and Reader software across multiple versions, representing a critical untrusted pointer dereference flaw within the JavaScript API engine. The issue manifests when maliciously crafted JavaScript input is processed by the application, causing the engine to compute pointers that reference memory locations outside the legitimate process address space. This fundamental flaw in memory management creates an exploitable condition where the application attempts to read from unauthorized memory regions, potentially exposing sensitive data from other processes or system memory. The vulnerability affects various product 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 document processing ecosystem.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves the JavaScript engine's improper handling of pointer arithmetic and memory access operations. When processing crafted JavaScript code, the engine performs computations that result in invalid memory addresses, which then get dereferenced through read operations. This uncontrolled memory access pattern allows attackers to potentially extract information from adjacent memory regions, including credentials, encryption keys, or other sensitive data that may be stored in the application's memory space. The vulnerability specifically targets the JavaScript API engine's memory management routines, making it particularly dangerous in environments where Adobe Reader or Acrobat is used to process untrusted documents. This issue aligns with CWE-476 which describes NULL pointer dereference conditions, though the specific implementation involves untrusted pointer dereference rather than null pointer access, making it a variant of memory safety vulnerabilities that can lead to information disclosure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it represents a potential pathway for more sophisticated attacks within the context of Adobe's document processing environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to sensitive information that might be stored in memory, including but not limited to user credentials, system configuration data, or proprietary documents. The fact that this vulnerability affects multiple versions of Adobe's software indicates a persistent flaw in the JavaScript engine's memory management that has remained unaddressed across several release cycles, increasing the attack surface for organizations using older versions of the software. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where Adobe Reader is commonly used for document processing, as it provides a potential means for attackers to extract sensitive data from documents processed within these applications.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions to mitigate this vulnerability, as the exposure of sensitive data through untrusted pointer dereference represents a significant security risk. The recommended mitigation strategy includes deploying the latest security updates from Adobe, which address the memory management flaws in the JavaScript API engine. Additionally, implementing content filtering and sandboxing measures can provide additional layers of protection by restricting the execution of potentially malicious JavaScript code within the application environment. Security teams should also consider monitoring for suspicious document processing activities and implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure memory management practices in application development and highlights the need for regular security assessments of widely-used software components that handle untrusted input data. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under initial access and credential access tactics, as the information disclosure could enable further exploitation attempts, making it a critical component in the overall attack chain for adversaries seeking to compromise enterprise security environments.