CVE-2017-3042 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 an exploitable heap overflow vulnerability in image conversion, related to parsing offsets in TIFF files. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/31/2024
Adobe Acrobat Reader contains a critical heap overflow vulnerability that arises during the processing of TIFF image files, specifically when handling parsing offsets within these image formats. This vulnerability affects multiple versions of the software including 11.0.19 and earlier, 15.006.30280 and earlier, and 15.023.20070 and earlier, making it a widespread concern across the Adobe Acrobat Reader user base. The flaw occurs in the image conversion functionality where the application fails to properly validate offset values when parsing TIFF file structures, creating opportunities for memory corruption that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it within the category of heap-based buffer overflow conditions, where attacker-controlled data can overwrite adjacent memory locations in the heap allocation space. This particular issue stems from inadequate bounds checking during TIFF file processing, specifically when the application attempts to parse offset values that define various image data segments within the TIFF format structure. The vulnerability is classified as a heap overflow because the application allocates memory on the heap for image data processing, and the unchecked offset parsing allows for data to be written beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, potentially corrupting heap metadata or adjacent memory regions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise through arbitrary code execution. Attackers can craft malicious TIFF files that, when opened by an affected Adobe Acrobat Reader instance, trigger the heap overflow condition and allow for remote code execution with the privileges of the user running the application. This represents a significant threat vector for enterprise environments where users frequently open documents from untrusted sources, as the vulnerability can be exploited through social engineering techniques or by embedding malicious TIFF content within legitimate-looking documents. The vulnerability's exploitation potential aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation for execution, and specifically targets the privilege escalation and code execution phases of an attack chain.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Adobe Acrobat Reader installations to mitigate this vulnerability, as no reliable workarounds exist for the heap overflow condition. The recommended mitigation strategy involves updating to the latest versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader that contain fixes for the TIFF parsing implementation, with particular attention to the specific version numbers mentioned in the vulnerability description. Security teams should also implement network-based controls such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems to prevent the delivery of potentially malicious TIFF files to user systems, while monitoring for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis. Additionally, user education programs should emphasize the importance of avoiding untrusted document attachments and implementing least privilege access controls to minimize potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of keeping document processing software updated, as the heap overflow condition can be leveraged for advanced persistent threats and privilege escalation attacks. The issue represents a classic example of how image processing libraries can introduce security risks when proper input validation and memory management practices are not implemented, aligning with CWE 121 which addresses heap-based buffer overflow conditions in software implementations.