CVE-2018-5065 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 a Use-after-free 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 • 04/06/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5065 represents a critical use-after-free flaw affecting multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader software. This vulnerability resides within the document processing components of these applications, specifically in how they handle memory management when processing maliciously crafted PDF files. The flaw allows an attacker to manipulate memory references after they have been freed, creating opportunities for exploitation that can result in complete system compromise. The affected versions span across different release cycles including 2018.011.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30080 and earlier, and 2015.006.30418 and earlier, indicating this vulnerability has persisted across multiple software iterations and represents a significant security gap in Adobe's document processing engine.
The technical nature of this use-after-free vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications. When processing PDF documents, the software allocates memory for various objects and structures but fails to properly validate or manage the lifecycle of these memory regions. An attacker can craft a malicious PDF file that triggers a scenario where a pointer reference becomes invalid while still being accessed by subsequent operations. This memory corruption can occur during parsing of specific PDF elements such as embedded objects, JavaScript execution contexts, or stream processing operations. The vulnerability manifests when the application attempts to access memory that has already been deallocated, leading to unpredictable behavior that can be leveraged for code execution. According to CWE standards, this maps to CWE-416 which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, making it a well-documented and dangerous class of memory safety vulnerability.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-5065 extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as successful exploitation can result in arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the current user. This means that attackers can execute malicious payloads directly on victim systems without requiring elevated permissions, making the attack surface particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users often run applications with standard user privileges. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because PDF files are commonly used in business communications, making it easy for attackers to deliver malicious payloads through social engineering campaigns. The attack vector typically involves luring users to open specially crafted PDF documents that contain the malicious code, which then exploits the memory corruption to gain control of the application process and subsequently the underlying system. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1204.002 which describes user execution of malicious files, making this vulnerability a prime target for initial access in targeted attacks.
Organizations and users should implement immediate mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, starting with urgent patching of all affected Adobe Acrobat and Reader installations. Adobe released security updates specifically addressing this issue in their subsequent releases, and organizations should ensure all systems are updated to the latest versions. Network-based defenses such as PDF content filtering and sandboxing solutions can provide additional layers of protection while patches are being deployed. Security teams should also monitor for potential exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and endpoint detection systems looking for indicators of compromise related to PDF processing anomalies. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular security updates and proper memory management practices in software development, particularly for applications that process untrusted data formats. Given the widespread use of Adobe Acrobat and Reader across enterprise environments, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond individual user systems to potentially affect entire organizational networks, making prompt remediation essential.