CVE-2018-12833 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2018.011.20063 and earlier, 2017.011.30102 and earlier, and 2015.006.30452 and earlier have a heap overflow vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/08/2024
Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications contain a critical heap overflow vulnerability that affects multiple version ranges including 2018.011.20063 and earlier, 2017.011.30102 and earlier, and 2015.006.30452 and earlier. This vulnerability resides in the handling of specific file formats within the document processing engine, where improper bounds checking allows attackers to write data beyond the allocated heap memory boundaries. The flaw manifests when the software processes maliciously crafted documents that trigger memory corruption during parsing operations, creating conditions where attacker-controlled data can overwrite adjacent memory regions. This heap overflow vulnerability directly maps to CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow and CWE-122 Heap-based Buffer Overflow classifications, representing a fundamental memory safety issue that enables privilege escalation and code execution. The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as successful exploitation allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the victim user, potentially leading to full system compromise. Attackers can craft malicious pdf files that, when opened by an affected version of Adobe Reader or Acrobat, trigger the heap overflow condition and provide a pathway for remote code execution. The vulnerability is particularly concerning given Adobe Reader's widespread deployment across enterprise environments and the common practice of opening pdf documents from untrusted sources. Security researchers have identified that the flaw occurs during the processing of embedded objects or specific font handling within pdf documents, where the application fails to validate input lengths before performing memory allocation operations. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries leverage application vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on target systems. The risk is compounded by the fact that many organizations continue to use outdated versions of Adobe Reader, creating a large attack surface for this vulnerability. Organizations should immediately implement patch management procedures to update to patched versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader, while also deploying network segmentation and email filtering solutions to prevent delivery of malicious pdf files to user workstations. Additionally, implementing application whitelisting policies and disabling unnecessary pdf features can provide defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts targeting this heap overflow vulnerability.