CVE-2017-2943 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 15.020.20042 and earlier, 15.006.30244 and earlier, 11.0.18 and earlier have an exploitable memory corruption vulnerability when processing tags in TIFF images. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2022
Adobe Acrobat Reader contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability in its handling of TIFF image tags that affects multiple version ranges including 15.020.20042 and earlier, 15.006.30244 and earlier, and 11.0.18 and earlier. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management when processing malformed TIFF image metadata, creating a condition where attacker-controlled data can overwrite critical memory regions. The flaw manifests when the application parses TIFF tags without proper bounds checking, allowing maliciously crafted image files to trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and CWE-125, out-of-bounds read, representing common attack vectors in software exploitation frameworks. The operational impact is severe as successful exploitation enables remote code execution without requiring user interaction beyond opening a malicious TIFF file, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or targeted attacks. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through the ATT&CK technique T1059.007, command and scripting interpreter, by executing malicious payloads directly within the application context. The vulnerability demonstrates the inherent risks of processing untrusted image formats in document readers, where image parsing components often lack proper sandboxing or input sanitization. Organizations using affected versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader face significant exposure to advanced persistent threats, as the vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or malicious websites. The memory corruption occurs during TIFF tag processing, where the application fails to validate the size or structure of tag data before attempting to copy it into fixed-size buffers. This creates opportunities for attackers to craft TIFF files with oversized or malformed tags that exceed allocated memory boundaries, potentially leading to stack or heap corruption that can be leveraged for privilege escalation. The vulnerability represents a classic example of insufficient input validation in multimedia processing components, where the application's failure to properly validate image metadata allows attackers to manipulate memory layout. Security researchers have noted that the exploitation requires minimal user interaction, as simply opening a malicious TIFF file within Acrobat Reader can trigger the vulnerability. This makes the attack surface particularly broad and difficult to control through traditional user awareness training alone. The affected versions span multiple release cycles, indicating a persistent flaw in the image processing pipeline that was not adequately addressed in the security patches. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of all affected systems, as the vulnerability provides attackers with a straightforward path to code execution. The technical complexity of the flaw lies in the interaction between TIFF parsing logic and memory management, where the application's failure to implement proper memory bounds checking creates exploitable conditions that can be consistently reproduced. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of image format validation in document processing applications and demonstrates how seemingly benign file format parsing can become a significant security risk when proper input sanitization is absent. The remediation strategy involves updating to patched versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader, implementing network-based restrictions on TIFF file handling, and deploying application whitelisting controls to prevent execution of vulnerable components. Additional protective measures include network segmentation, email filtering, and user education to reduce the likelihood of encountering malicious TIFF files. The vulnerability also underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of multimedia processing components, particularly in applications that handle untrusted content from external sources. Organizations should consider implementing sandboxing technologies to isolate document processing activities and reduce the potential impact of similar vulnerabilities in the future. The flaw's persistence across multiple version releases indicates a systemic issue in the application's security architecture that requires fundamental review and improvement of input validation mechanisms for image format processing.