CVE-2018-15932 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 • 08/06/2024
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 falls under the CWE-125 weakness category which specifically addresses out-of-bounds read conditions in software implementations. The flaw occurs when the applications process specially crafted pdf documents that contain malformed data structures, particularly within the document parsing routines that handle various object types and their associated metadata.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking within the pdf parsing engine of Adobe Reader and Acrobat. When these applications encounter maliciously constructed pdf files, the parsing logic fails to validate array indices or buffer limits before accessing memory locations. This allows an attacker to craft pdf documents that cause the application to read data from memory locations beyond the intended buffer boundaries. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through simple document delivery mechanisms such as email attachments or web downloads, requiring no special privileges or user interaction beyond opening the malicious file.
From an operational perspective, successful exploitation of this vulnerability could result in information disclosure, where sensitive data from the application's memory space becomes accessible to the attacker. The impact extends beyond simple data leakage as this information disclosure could potentially expose encryption keys, user credentials, or other confidential information stored in memory. This vulnerability aligns with several techniques documented in the attack framework, particularly those involving initial access through malicious documents and privilege escalation through information gathering phases. The attack surface is broad given the widespread use of Adobe Reader across enterprise environments and personal computing systems.
The security implications of this vulnerability are significant as it represents a fundamental flaw in input validation within a widely deployed application. Organizations running affected versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader face potential exposure to targeted attacks where adversaries craft specific pdf documents to exploit this memory access issue. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper bounds checking in memory management operations, a principle that aligns with secure coding practices recommended in the OWASP Secure Coding Practices and NIST guidelines for software security. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including updating to patched versions, deploying application whitelisting policies, and implementing network-based protections to prevent access to known malicious pdf content. The vulnerability also highlights the necessity of regular security assessments and vulnerability management programs to identify and remediate similar issues before they can be exploited in the wild.
This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges in securing document processing applications where complex parsing logic must handle diverse input formats while maintaining robust security boundaries. The out-of-bounds read condition represents a classic example of how seemingly minor implementation flaws can create significant security risks in widely used software applications. The remediation approach requires not only patch management but also broader security awareness training for end users to recognize potentially malicious document attachments and implement defensive measures against social engineering attacks that leverage such vulnerabilities.