CVE-2018-5042 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat and Reader 2018.011.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30080 and earlier, and 2015.006.30418 and earlier versions have an Out-of-bounds write vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2024
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions prior to 2018.011.20040, 2017.011.30080, and 2015.006.30418 contain a critical out-of-bounds write vulnerability that represents a significant security risk for end users and organizations. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-787, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds write conditions that can result in memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The flaw occurs when the software processes certain malformed PDF files, allowing an attacker to manipulate memory locations beyond the intended buffer boundaries.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting a malicious PDF document that triggers an out-of-bounds write condition during the parsing process. When Adobe Reader or Acrobat attempts to process this specially crafted file, the software writes data beyond the allocated memory buffer, potentially overwriting adjacent memory locations including critical program structures, return addresses, or other sensitive data. This memory corruption can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user, effectively bypassing many traditional security controls.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to enterprise environments where Adobe Reader is commonly deployed for document viewing and sharing. The attack surface is extensive since PDF files are frequently exchanged through email attachments, web downloads, and document sharing platforms. Successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and persistent access within the target environment. Organizations using older versions of Adobe Reader are particularly vulnerable as these products lack the memory safety checks and input validation mechanisms that would prevent such out-of-bounds operations. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers can leverage the executed code to establish persistence or escalate privileges within the compromised system.
The remediation strategy should prioritize immediate patching of all affected Adobe Reader and Acrobat installations to the latest versions that contain memory safety improvements and input validation fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all systems are updated promptly. Additionally, network security controls such as PDF content filtering, email gateway scanning, and sandboxing mechanisms should be deployed to detect and block potentially malicious PDF files before they reach end users. Security monitoring should focus on identifying unusual execution patterns or memory access violations that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining current software versions and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against zero-day exploits that target widely used applications like Adobe Reader.