CVE-2018-19700 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 use after free vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/01/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-19700 represents a critical use after free flaw affecting multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader software. This security weakness stems from improper memory management practices within the affected applications, specifically in how they handle memory allocation and deallocation processes. The vulnerability manifests when the software attempts to access memory that has already been freed, creating a dangerous condition that can be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems.
The technical implementation of this use after free vulnerability occurs within the memory management subsystem of Adobe's document processing libraries. When processing certain PDF files, the applications fail to properly validate memory references after objects have been deallocated, allowing attackers to manipulate memory contents through crafted malicious documents. This flaw falls under the CWE-416 category of "Use After Free" which is classified as a serious memory safety issue that can result in privilege escalation and complete system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through simple document opening actions, making it an ideal candidate for phishing attacks and social engineering campaigns.
Operationally, the impact of CVE-2018-19700 extends beyond simple code execution to encompass full system compromise capabilities. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to target systems, potentially establishing persistent backdoors or deploying additional malware payloads. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction beyond opening a malicious document, making it highly effective in targeted attacks. From an adversary perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1068 for Exploitation for Privilege Escalation. The attack surface is particularly broad given that Adobe Acrobat and Reader are widely deployed across enterprise environments, making this vulnerability attractive to both nation-state actors and cybercriminal organizations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patch management and system hardening measures. Organizations should prioritize updating to the latest versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader that contain the patched memory management routines. The vulnerability can be mitigated through proper input validation and memory handling practices, including implementing address space layout randomization and data execution prevention mechanisms. Security administrators should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of untrusted PDF files and deploy network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. Additionally, user education programs should emphasize the importance of avoiding suspicious document attachments and verifying document sources before opening potentially malicious files. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining instances of vulnerable software versions within the organization's infrastructure.