CVE-2018-4965 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2018.011.20038 and earlier, 2017.011.30079 and earlier, and 2015.006.30417 and earlier have a Memory Corruption vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/22/2024
Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications suffer from a memory corruption vulnerability that affects multiple versions across different release cycles. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory operations during document processing, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory structures. The flaw manifests when the software processes malformed or specially crafted PDF files that trigger unexpected memory behavior, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or information disclosure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves buffer overflows or memory access violations that occur when parsing specific PDF elements. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious PDF documents that, when opened by vulnerable versions of Acrobat or Reader, cause the application to read or write beyond allocated memory boundaries. This memory corruption can result in arbitrary code execution or information disclosure, depending on how the corrupted memory is subsequently handled by the application. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations that can lead to memory corruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it represents a critical security weakness that could be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially access sensitive data stored in memory, including user credentials, personal information, or proprietary documents. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Acrobat and Reader are widely used applications, making the exploitation potential substantial across various organizational environments. This vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK tactics including initial access through malicious document delivery and privilege escalation if the application runs with elevated privileges.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected versions to mitigate this vulnerability, as the window for exploitation remains open for unpatched systems. The recommended mitigation strategy includes implementing strict document validation policies, deploying sandboxing solutions for PDF processing, and maintaining up-to-date security patches across all Acrobat and Reader installations. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts through suspicious PDF file transfers or unusual memory access patterns. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting controls to restrict execution of untrusted PDF files and maintain comprehensive logging of document processing activities for forensic analysis purposes.