CVE-2017-3119 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat Reader 2017.009.20058 and earlier, 2017.008.30051 and earlier, 2015.006.30306 and earlier, and 11.0.20 and earlier has an exploitable memory corruption vulnerability in Acrobat/Reader 11.0.19 engine. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/08/2021
Adobe Acrobat Reader contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability that affects multiple versions including 2017.009.20058 and earlier, 2017.008.30051 and earlier, 2015.006.3030306 and earlier, and 11.0.20 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within the Acrobat/Reader 11.0.19 engine and represents a severe security flaw that can be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution on affected systems. The memory corruption occurs during the processing of maliciously crafted PDF files, allowing attackers to manipulate memory locations and potentially execute malicious code with the privileges of the targeted user.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under the category of memory safety issues, specifically manifesting as buffer overflows or heap corruption that can be triggered through improper input validation within the PDF parsing engine. This type of vulnerability is classified as CWE-121 in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, which deals with stack-based buffer overflow conditions. The flaw enables attackers to craft specially designed PDF documents that, when opened by an affected version of Adobe Reader, cause the application to corrupt memory structures and execute attacker-controlled code. The vulnerability represents a classic use-after-free or buffer overflow scenario where memory allocated for PDF processing becomes corrupted through improper bounds checking.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows remote code execution without requiring user interaction beyond opening a malicious document. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to deploy malware, establish backdoors, or perform further attacks within the compromised system. The widespread adoption of Adobe Reader across enterprise environments makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous, as a single compromised system can serve as a foothold for broader network infiltration. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or malicious websites that deliver crafted PDF files.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including prompt patching of all affected Adobe Reader installations to version 2017.011.20058 or later, which addresses this memory corruption vulnerability. System administrators should also consider implementing PDF content filtering and sandboxing mechanisms to reduce the attack surface. Network security controls such as web proxies and email gateways should be configured to scan and block potentially malicious PDF files. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, which involves using malicious files to execute code on targeted systems. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of unauthorized software and reduce the risk of exploitation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining unpatched systems within the organization's infrastructure.