CVE-2018-4901 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Adobe Acrobat Reader 2018.009.20050 and earlier versions, 2017.011.30070 and earlier versions, 2015.006.30394 and earlier versions. The vulnerability is caused by the computation that writes data past the end of the intended buffer; the computation is part of the document identity representation. An attacker can potentially leverage the vulnerability to corrupt sensitive data or execute arbitrary code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/10/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-4901 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw affecting multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader across different release cycles. This security issue manifests within the document identity representation processing component of the software, where improper buffer boundary calculations lead to memory corruption during data handling operations. The flaw exists in versions 2018.009.20050 and earlier, 2017.011.30070 and earlier, as well as 2015.006.30394 and earlier, indicating a long-standing vulnerability that has persisted across multiple major releases of the software suite.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes buffer overflow conditions where data is written beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. The computation responsible for handling document identity representations contains flawed arithmetic that calculates buffer sizes or offsets incorrectly, resulting in memory writes that extend beyond the intended data structures. This type of flaw typically occurs when developers fail to properly validate input data or when boundary calculations do not account for all possible data scenarios during processing. The buffer overflow creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory contents in ways that can lead to arbitrary code execution or data corruption.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations relying on Adobe Acrobat Reader for document processing and viewing. Attackers can potentially exploit this flaw by crafting malicious PDF documents that trigger the buffer overflow condition when the affected software attempts to parse document identity information. The exploitation capabilities extend beyond simple data corruption to include full arbitrary code execution within the context of the Acrobat Reader application, potentially allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to systems or escalate privileges. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where users frequently open PDF files from untrusted sources, making it a prime target for phishing attacks and social engineering campaigns.
The impact of CVE-2018-4901 extends beyond immediate exploitation capabilities to encompass broader security implications for enterprise environments. Organizations using affected versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader face potential data breaches, system compromise, and unauthorized access to sensitive documents. The vulnerability's presence in multiple release versions suggests that organizations may have been exposed to risk for extended periods, as the flaw existed across several major software releases. Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in the context of the ATT&CK framework, specifically under techniques related to exploitation of software vulnerabilities and privilege escalation. The flaw demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing proper input validation controls to prevent similar issues from occurring in other applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-4901 primarily focus on immediate software updates and patches provided by Adobe. Organizations should prioritize updating to the latest versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader that contain fixes for this vulnerability, as the patches typically include improved buffer boundary checks and input validation mechanisms. Additionally, implementing network-based security controls such as PDF content filtering and sandboxing mechanisms can provide additional protection layers. Security teams should also consider deploying application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of untrusted PDF files and monitor for suspicious document processing activities. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include checks for this specific vulnerability to ensure comprehensive protection across all endpoints utilizing Adobe Acrobat Reader.