CVE-2018-12816 in Digital Editions
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Digital Editions versions 4.5.8 and below have an out of bounds read vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/05/2020
Adobe Digital Editions version 4.5.8 and earlier contains a critical out of bounds read vulnerability that resides within the application's handling of malformed EPUB files. This flaw represents a classic buffer overread condition where the software fails to properly validate input data before processing it, allowing an attacker to craft malicious documents that trigger memory access violations. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-129 as an insufficient input validation issue, specifically manifesting as improper bounds checking during file parsing operations. When the application attempts to read data beyond the allocated memory boundaries, it can expose sensitive information from adjacent memory locations, potentially revealing system details, user data, or application state information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates a potential attack vector for more sophisticated exploitation techniques. An attacker could leverage this weakness to gain insights into the application's memory layout, which may facilitate further attacks such as privilege escalation or denial of service conditions. The vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the application's defensive programming practices, lacking proper input sanitization and memory boundary validation mechanisms. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage, as exploitation may involve crafting specific input files to trigger the memory access violation.
From a security perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to users who frequently process EPUB documents, particularly in enterprise environments where digital content management systems may be exposed to untrusted inputs. The out of bounds read condition creates opportunities for attackers to extract confidential information through memory disclosure attacks, potentially exposing session tokens, user credentials, or other sensitive data stored in adjacent memory regions. The affected versions of Adobe Digital Editions lack proper input validation checks that would normally prevent such memory access violations, making the application particularly susceptible to crafted malicious documents. Organizations should consider implementing content filtering mechanisms and restricting EPUB file processing to trusted sources as immediate mitigation strategies.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal privileges and can be executed through simple document manipulation techniques, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users have the ability to process external digital content. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability falls within the category of memory safety issues that are increasingly targeted by modern exploit frameworks, particularly those designed for application-level attacks. The lack of proper bounds checking in the file parsing routine creates a persistent risk that cannot be easily mitigated through network-level defenses alone. Organizations should prioritize updating to Adobe Digital Editions version 4.5.9 or later, which includes patches addressing this specific out of bounds read condition and implements proper input validation controls to prevent memory access violations during document processing operations.