CVE-2018-16044 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2019.008.20081 and earlier, 2019.008.20080 and earlier, 2019.008.20081 and earlier, 2017.011.30106 and earlier version, 2017.011.30105 and earlier version, 2015.006.30457 and earlier, and 2015.006.30456 and earlier have a security bypass vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to privilege escalation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/01/2023
CVE-2018-16044 represents a security bypass vulnerability affecting multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader software across different release cycles. This vulnerability resides within the application's privilege management mechanisms and authentication processes, creating a potential pathway for unauthorized elevation of privileges. The flaw manifests in the way these applications handle user permissions and access controls, allowing malicious actors to bypass intended security boundaries that should prevent unauthorized system access or administrative functions. The vulnerability affects versions released in 2015, 2017, and 2019, indicating a long-standing issue that persisted across multiple software iterations. This security bypass vulnerability directly relates to CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, where inadequate privilege management allows unauthorized users to perform privileged operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves weaknesses in the software's internal access control checks and authentication mechanisms. When users interact with Adobe Acrobat or Reader applications, the software should enforce strict privilege boundaries to prevent unauthorized access to system resources or administrative functions. However, this flaw allows attackers to exploit specific code paths that bypass these security checks, potentially enabling them to execute operations that require elevated privileges without proper authentication or authorization. The exploitation typically occurs through carefully crafted documents or input that triggers the vulnerable code path, where the application fails to properly validate user credentials or access rights before executing privileged operations.
From an operational impact perspective, successful exploitation of CVE-2018-16044 could enable attackers to achieve significant system compromise. The privilege escalation resulting from this vulnerability allows malicious actors to perform actions that should be restricted to administrators or users with elevated permissions. This could include accessing sensitive documents, modifying system configurations, installing malicious software, or accessing restricted network resources. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely heavily on Adobe Acrobat and Reader for document processing, as these applications are frequently used to open and process documents from external sources, making them prime targets for exploitation. The broad range of affected versions suggests that this vulnerability has been present for an extended period, increasing the potential attack surface and making organizations with outdated software particularly vulnerable.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability by ensuring all instances of Adobe Acrobat and Reader are updated to the latest available versions that contain patches for this security bypass flaw. The recommended approach involves deploying automated patch management solutions to ensure timely updates across all systems. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact if exploitation occurs. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual privilege escalation attempts or abnormal user activities within systems where these applications are installed. The mitigation strategy should also include user education regarding the risks of opening untrusted documents and implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of unauthorized software versions. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation," emphasizing the need for organizations to maintain current software versions and implement robust access control measures to prevent unauthorized elevation of privileges.