CVE-2018-12874 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 an out-of-bounds read vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/07/2024
Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications contain a critical out-of-bounds read 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 PDF files and represents a classic memory safety issue that falls under CWE-125, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds read conditions. The flaw occurs when the software processes malformed PDF content without proper bounds checking, allowing an attacker to craft malicious documents that trigger memory access violations. When exploited, this vulnerability enables an attacker to read memory locations beyond the intended buffer boundaries, potentially exposing sensitive data including cryptographic keys, passwords, or other confidential information stored in adjacent memory regions. The attack vector typically involves tricking a user into opening a specially crafted PDF file, which then executes the malicious code during document parsing operations. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage and T1566 for phishing attacks through social engineering. The information disclosure impact can be severe as it may reveal system memory contents that could contain authentication tokens, personal data, or other sensitive material. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and memory management practices that are commonly exploited in advanced persistent threat campaigns. Organizations running affected versions should immediately implement patch management procedures to upgrade to fixed versions, as the risk of exploitation remains high given the widespread use of Adobe Reader across enterprise environments. Network segmentation and email filtering solutions can provide additional defense-in-depth measures while waiting for patches to be deployed. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of sandboxing PDF processing components and implementing strict content validation mechanisms to prevent similar issues in the future. Security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to PDF-based attacks and ensure that all endpoints are regularly updated with the latest security patches to maintain operational resilience against such memory corruption vulnerabilities.