CVE-2019-7022 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2019.010.20069 and earlier, 2019.010.20069 and earlier, 2017.011.30113 and earlier version, and 2015.006.30464 and earlier have an out-of-bounds read vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/16/2020
Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications contain a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-7022 affecting multiple versions including 2019.010.20069 and earlier, 2017.011.30113 and earlier, and 2015.006.30464 and earlier releases. This vulnerability resides in the document processing functionality where the software fails to properly validate array indices when parsing PDF files, leading to memory access violations beyond allocated buffer boundaries. The flaw manifests when the application encounters malformed or specially crafted PDF documents that trigger the out-of-bounds read condition during parsing operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls under CWE-129, which specifically addresses insufficient validation of length of inputs to ensure they are within acceptable bounds. When an attacker crafts a malicious PDF file containing malformed data structures, the Acrobat Reader application attempts to access memory locations that are outside the intended buffer limits, potentially exposing sensitive information stored in adjacent memory regions. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through social engineering techniques where users unknowingly open malicious documents, making it a prime target for targeted attacks.
From an operational security perspective, successful exploitation of CVE-2019-7022 could result in information disclosure attacks where attackers gain access to confidential data stored in the application's memory space. This includes potentially sensitive information such as user credentials, system configuration details, or other proprietary data that may be cached in memory during document processing. The vulnerability represents a significant risk to organizations that rely heavily on PDF document handling, particularly in environments where users frequently open documents from untrusted sources. The attack surface is broad given that Acrobat Reader is widely deployed across enterprise networks and individual user systems.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including mandatory software updates to the latest available versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader where the vulnerability has been patched. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based security controls such as PDF content filtering and sandboxing solutions to prevent execution of potentially malicious documents. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory safety practices in document processing applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for exploitation through document-based attacks. Regular security assessments and user awareness training regarding suspicious document attachments remain critical defensive measures against this class of vulnerability.