CVE-2017-3054 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 memory corruption vulnerability in the image conversion engine, related to manipulation of EMF files. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2024
Adobe Acrobat Reader contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability in its image conversion engine that specifically affects the handling of Enhanced Metafile (EMF) graphics files. This vulnerability exists in multiple version ranges including 11.0.19 and earlier, 15.006.30280 and earlier, and 15.023.20070 and earlier of the software. The flaw occurs when the application processes EMF files during the image conversion process, where improper memory handling allows attackers to manipulate the file structure in ways that trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions. The vulnerability is classified as an exploitable memory corruption issue that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code on the target system.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the EMF file processing pipeline. When Acrobat Reader encounters an EMF file, it attempts to convert the graphics data into a format suitable for display or printing, but the conversion engine fails to properly validate the structure and boundaries of the EMF file data. This lack of proper bounds checking creates opportunities for attackers to craft malicious EMF files that, when opened by the vulnerable reader, cause memory corruption. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through simple file manipulation without requiring complex attack vectors or user interaction beyond opening the malicious file.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations relying on Adobe Acrobat Reader for document handling and viewing. Attackers can craft specially designed EMF files that, when opened by a victim with the vulnerable version of Acrobat Reader, will automatically execute malicious code on the target system. This creates a classic remote code execution scenario where the attack vector is simply the act of opening a document, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where users frequently open documents from untrusted sources. The vulnerability can be exploited in phishing campaigns, targeted attacks against specific individuals, or through compromised websites that serve malicious documents to unsuspecting users.
Organizations should immediately apply patches from Adobe to address this vulnerability, as the company has released security updates specifically designed to fix the memory corruption issues in the image conversion engine. The recommended mitigation strategy involves updating to the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, which includes improved input validation and memory management controls for EMF file processing. Additionally, organizations should implement file type restrictions in their email and web filtering systems to prevent automatic execution of potentially malicious EMF files, and consider deploying application whitelisting solutions that restrict execution of vulnerable applications until patches are applied. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 for heap-based buffer overflow conditions and represents a technique commonly used in ATT&CK framework under initial access and execution phases, particularly through malicious document delivery methods.