CVE-2017-16409 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 occurs as a result of a computation that reads data that is past the end of the target buffer; the computation is part of the Adobe graphics module responsible for displaying textual data. The use of an invalid (out-of-range) pointer offset during access of internal data structure fields causes the vulnerability. A successful attack can lead to sensitive data exposure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2024
This vulnerability exists within Adobe Acrobat and Reader software versions that are affected by a buffer overread condition in the graphics module responsible for rendering text elements. The flaw manifests when the application processes textual data and performs computations that access memory locations beyond the boundaries of allocated buffers. This specific issue falls under the category of memory safety vulnerabilities where improper pointer arithmetic leads to invalid memory access patterns that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the Adobe graphics rendering engine attempting to read data from memory locations that extend past the end of target buffers containing textual information. When the application computes pointer offsets to access internal data structure fields, it calculates positions that reference memory beyond the intended buffer boundaries. This out-of-range memory access can result in information disclosure, as the application may inadvertently expose sensitive data that resides in adjacent memory locations. The vulnerability specifically affects multiple version ranges including 2017.012.20098 and earlier, 2017.011.30066 and earlier, 2015.006.30355 and earlier, and 11.0.22 and earlier versions of the software.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks. An attacker who successfully exploits this condition could gain access to sensitive data that might include system information, user credentials, or other confidential material stored in memory. This type of vulnerability represents a significant security risk in environments where Adobe Acrobat and Reader are widely used for document processing and viewing. The exposure of sensitive data through buffer overread conditions aligns with common attack patterns documented in the attack mitigation frameworks and can be classified under specific threat categories such as information disclosure and privilege escalation.
Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in the context of broader memory safety issues that affect Adobe's product ecosystem and similar applications. The flaw demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory boundary checking in graphics rendering modules, which are often targeted by attackers due to their complex nature and frequent interaction with user-provided content. Organizations should prioritize patch management and ensure all affected versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader are updated to mitigate this risk. The vulnerability's classification under CWE categories related to buffer overreads and improper pointer arithmetic highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of graphics processing components within enterprise applications.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of security patches provided by Adobe, implementation of network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, and enhanced security awareness training for users who handle sensitive documents. The vulnerability represents a typical example of how seemingly minor implementation flaws in graphics rendering can have significant security implications, particularly when the affected applications process untrusted document content from external sources. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies and restricting Adobe Acrobat and Reader functionality in high-security environments until comprehensive patching is complete.