CVE-2019-7040 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 use after free vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution .
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/21/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-7040 represents a critical use after free flaw affecting Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications across multiple version lines including 2019.010.20069 and earlier, 2017.011.30113 and earlier, and 2015.006.30464 and earlier. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which occurs when a program continues to use a pointer to memory that has already been freed, creating opportunities for malicious code execution. The flaw exists within the document processing components of these applications, specifically when handling certain PDF file structures that trigger improper memory management during object deallocation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting a malicious PDF document that, when opened by an affected Adobe application, causes the program to free memory associated with a specific object while still maintaining references to it. When the application attempts to access this freed memory location, it can be manipulated by an attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the vulnerable software. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be delivered through email attachments or web downloads, making it an attractive target for social engineering campaigns.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments where Adobe Acrobat and Reader are widely deployed. The impact extends beyond individual user systems to potentially compromise entire networks through lateral movement once initial access is achieved. The vulnerability's exploitation does not require user interaction beyond opening the malicious document, making it particularly effective for targeted attacks. Organizations with outdated software versions are especially vulnerable, as these legacy installations often lack the security patches that would prevent such exploitation scenarios.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including mandatory software updates to the latest Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions that contain patches for this vulnerability. Network segmentation and email filtering should be enhanced to prevent delivery of potentially malicious PDF files. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software patches and implementing robust application whitelisting policies. Organizations should also consider deploying endpoint detection and response solutions that can identify suspicious memory access patterns and anomalous behavior indicative of use after free exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script interpreter and T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution, highlighting the need for comprehensive defensive measures across multiple attack surface areas.