CVE-2018-12795 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2018.011.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30080 and earlier, and 2015.006.30418 and earlier versions have an Out-of-bounds read vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2024
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions prior to 2018.011.20040, 2017.011.30080, and 2015.006.30418 contain a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that stems from improper input validation within the document parsing functionality. This flaw exists in the handling of malformed PDF files and occurs when the application attempts to read memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds read conditions that can result in information disclosure or system compromise. When processing specially crafted PDF documents, the affected software fails to properly validate array indices or buffer limits, allowing an attacker to manipulate memory access patterns that could reveal sensitive data from adjacent memory regions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive memory contents that may include cryptographic keys, user credentials, or other confidential information stored in memory. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Adobe Reader is commonly used to process documents from untrusted sources. The attack surface is broad since PDF files are frequently exchanged through email attachments, web downloads, and document sharing platforms. Security researchers have documented that exploitation of this flaw can lead to privilege escalation scenarios, where attackers can leverage the information disclosure to gain deeper system access.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for PowerShell and T1068 for exploit development, as attackers often use such memory corruption flaws to build more sophisticated attack chains. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction, typically only requiring the victim to open a malicious PDF file, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns and targeted attacks. Organizations should consider implementing network-based protections such as PDF content filtering and sandboxing solutions to mitigate the risk. The recommended mitigation strategy includes immediate patching of all affected versions, along with enhanced security policies that restrict PDF file execution and implement strict access controls for document processing systems. Additionally, security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to PDF-based attacks and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing memory corruption vulnerabilities in document readers.