CVE-2017-3033 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 11.0.19 and earlier, 15.006.30280 and earlier, 15.023.20070 and earlier have a memory address leak vulnerability when handling JPEG 2000 code-stream tile data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/31/2024
Adobe Acrobat Reader contains a memory address leak vulnerability in its handling of JPEG 2000 code-stream tile data that affects multiple version ranges including 11.0.19 and earlier, 15.006.30280 and earlier, and 15.023.20070 and earlier. This vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure flaws where the application fails to properly manage memory resources when processing JPEG 2000 encoded image data. The flaw occurs during the parsing of tile data within the JPEG 2000 code-stream, where memory addresses may be inadvertently exposed through improper memory management practices. This type of vulnerability is classified as CWE-200 Information Exposure, which represents a significant security risk as it can provide attackers with insights into the application's memory layout and potentially aid in more sophisticated exploitation techniques. The memory address leak occurs when the application processes malformed or specially crafted JPEG 2000 tile data, causing the system to leak memory addresses that could be used to bypass security mechanisms such as address space layout randomization. This vulnerability enables attackers to potentially gain information about the memory layout of the target system, which can be leveraged to perform advanced exploitation techniques including heap spraying or other memory corruption attacks. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure as it can serve as a precursor to more serious exploits, particularly when combined with other vulnerabilities present in the same application. Attackers could use the leaked memory addresses to circumvent modern exploit mitigation techniques such as stack canaries, non-executable stacks, and other memory protection mechanisms. The vulnerability represents a critical weakness in Adobe Acrobat Reader's memory management routines when processing image data, particularly in environments where multiple applications are running simultaneously and memory addresses may be reused across different processes. This type of information disclosure vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Adobe Acrobat Reader is widely deployed and where attackers may have multiple opportunities to exploit the leaked information over time. The flaw demonstrates poor memory handling practices within the application's image processing pipeline and highlights the importance of proper resource management when dealing with complex image formats like JPEG 2000 that require sophisticated parsing routines. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to address this vulnerability, as the memory address leak can provide attackers with valuable information for crafting targeted exploits. The vulnerability also underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of image processing components within document readers and other applications that handle multimedia content. Security professionals should monitor for potential exploitation attempts that may leverage this information disclosure to conduct more sophisticated attacks against systems running vulnerable versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader. The remediation approach requires updating to patched versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader where the memory management for JPEG 2000 tile data has been properly addressed. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter where attackers may use leaked memory information to refine their exploitation strategies. The security community should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader pattern of memory management issues in document processing applications that require enhanced security testing and validation of memory handling routines.