CVE-2017-3052 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 in the image conversion engine, related to parsing of EMF - enhanced meta file format.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3052 resides within Adobe Acrobat Reader's image conversion engine, specifically when processing enhanced meta file format files. This memory address leak vulnerability affects multiple versions of the software including 11.0.19 and earlier, 15.006.30280 and earlier, and 15.023.20070 and earlier. The flaw manifests during the parsing of EMF files which are commonly used for vector graphics and contain device-independent graphics information. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory addresses during the conversion process, creating potential exposure points that could be exploited by malicious actors.
This memory address leak represents a significant security concern as it provides attackers with information about the memory layout of the application process. The vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure flaws, which can be leveraged to bypass security mechanisms such as address space layout randomization. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they gain access to memory addresses that can be used to predict memory locations and potentially execute further attacks. The technical implementation involves the image conversion engine failing to properly validate or sanitize memory references during EMF file parsing operations, leading to unintended memory exposure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates opportunities for more sophisticated attacks. Attackers could potentially use the leaked memory addresses to craft more effective exploit payloads by understanding the memory layout of the target process. This vulnerability can be particularly dangerous in environments where Adobe Acrobat Reader is frequently used to open untrusted documents, as it could be exploited through social engineering campaigns targeting users with malicious EMF files. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version lines indicates a persistent flaw in the software's memory management practices during image processing operations.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate remediation through software updates to the latest versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader where the vulnerability has been patched. Organizations should implement strict document validation policies and consider sandboxing environments for document processing. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses information exposure, and may contribute to techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under initial access and privilege escalation phases. Security teams should also consider network-based detection measures to monitor for suspicious EMF file activity and implement endpoint protection solutions that can identify and block malicious document processing attempts. Regular security assessments of document handling capabilities within enterprise environments can help identify additional attack vectors that may be present due to this memory address leak vulnerability.