CVE-2018-15950 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 versions across different release cycles. This vulnerability resides in the handling of malformed PDF files and occurs when the software attempts to process improperly structured data without adequate bounds checking. The flaw allows an attacker to craft malicious PDF documents that trigger memory access violations when the affected software parses specific file elements. Such out-of-bounds reads can potentially expose sensitive memory contents including stack data, heap information, or other process memory segments to unauthorized access. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-125 as an out-of-bounds read condition where the application accesses memory beyond the allocated buffer boundaries.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to prepare a specially crafted PDF file that, when opened by an affected version of Adobe Acrobat or Reader, triggers the flawed memory access pattern. The out-of-bounds read occurs during the parsing of PDF objects where the software attempts to read memory locations that are not properly validated against the actual buffer limits. This type of vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code through document-based attacks. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked memory contents may contain cryptographic keys, user credentials, or other sensitive data that could be leveraged for further attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-15950 is significant for organizations relying on Adobe Acrobat and Reader for document processing. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability through social engineering campaigns targeting end users, particularly in phishing scenarios where malicious PDF attachments are delivered via email. The vulnerability affects users across multiple years of Adobe's release cycles, making it a persistent threat that requires immediate attention from security teams. Organizations running older versions of Acrobat and Reader are particularly vulnerable as these products have not received security patches for this specific flaw. The out-of-bounds read can potentially lead to privilege escalation in certain scenarios where the software executes with elevated permissions. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing proper document sanitization procedures in enterprise environments. The affected versions represent a broad range of Adobe's product lifecycle, indicating that organizations must ensure all installations are updated to the latest security patches. Security controls should include email filtering, endpoint protection, and regular software update policies to mitigate the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability also highlights the need for proper input validation and memory safety practices in software development, particularly for applications handling untrusted file formats. Organizations should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures to address successful breaches.