CVE-2018-15966 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 security bypass vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to privilege escalation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/09/2024
Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications contain a security bypass 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 represents a critical flaw in the software's access control mechanisms that allows unauthorized users to bypass intended security restrictions. The technical implementation of privilege escalation protection mechanisms has been compromised, enabling attackers to elevate their privileges beyond what the application's security model permits. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user permissions and access controls within the application's core security architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass potential full system compromise when exploited in conjunction with other attack vectors. Attackers can leverage this weakness to gain elevated privileges without proper authentication, potentially allowing them to access restricted system resources, modify critical application components, or execute arbitrary code with higher privileges than initially granted. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control issues where an attacker can gain access to resources or functionality that should be restricted. The security bypass represents a fundamental failure in the application's defense-in-depth strategy, undermining the trust model that users place in Adobe's security implementations.
The exploitation of CVE-2018-15966 follows patterns consistent with attack techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation tactics. Attackers typically begin by identifying vulnerable software versions and then craft payloads that exploit the specific access control bypass mechanism. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version lines indicates a widespread issue that affects various deployment scenarios across different organizational environments. Organizations running affected versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader face significant risk exposure, particularly in environments where users have elevated privileges or where the applications are used in enterprise settings with sensitive data access requirements. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple release cycles suggests that the underlying architectural flaw was not adequately addressed in previous security patches, creating a prolonged window of exposure for affected systems.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patch deployment to address the vulnerability in all affected versions. Organizations must implement comprehensive vulnerability management processes to identify and remediate all instances of the vulnerable software across their networks. Additional defensive measures include implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of untrusted Adobe applications, monitoring for suspicious privilege escalation activities, and conducting regular security assessments of document processing environments. System administrators should also consider deploying network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability. The security community recommends maintaining strict version control and avoiding installation of vulnerable software releases until proper patches are applied. Organizations should also review their access control policies and implement principle of least privilege configurations to minimize the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts.