CVE-2018-12802 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 a Security Bypass vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to privilege escalation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2024
The Security Bypass vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-12802 affects multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications across different release cycles. This vulnerability represents a critical flaw in the software's authentication and authorization mechanisms that could allow attackers to bypass security controls intended to protect system resources and user data. The affected versions include 2018.011.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30080 and earlier, and 2015.006.30418 and earlier, indicating this weakness has persisted across multiple major releases and represents a significant concern for organizations relying on these document processing applications.
The technical flaw within Adobe Acrobat and Reader stems from improper handling of security checks during document processing operations. This vulnerability allows malicious actors to exploit weaknesses in the application's privilege management system, potentially enabling them to execute operations that should be restricted to administrators or privileged users. The security bypass occurs during the validation process when the software fails to properly verify user credentials or access permissions before allowing certain actions to proceed. This weakness creates a pathway for attackers to escalate their privileges within the application environment and potentially gain elevated system access.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-12802 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it creates opportunities for broader system compromise and data exfiltration. Organizations using affected versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader face increased risk of unauthorized access to sensitive documents, potential system infiltration, and possible lateral movement within network environments. The vulnerability's presence in multiple release cycles suggests that enterprises may have been exposed to this risk for extended periods without awareness, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent access to critical systems. This security bypass could enable attackers to manipulate documents, access restricted features, or perform administrative actions that should require elevated privileges.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including prompt patching of all affected Adobe Acrobat and Reader installations to the latest available versions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control issues in software applications, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit access to systems running affected Adobe software, monitoring for suspicious document processing activities, and conducting thorough vulnerability assessments of their Adobe application deployments. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of opening untrusted PDF documents and the importance of maintaining current software versions to prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, making it a critical target for both defensive and offensive security operations.