CVE-2019-7145 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2019.010.20100 and earlier, 2019.010.20099 and earlier, 2017.011.30140 and earlier, 2017.011.30138 and earlier, 2015.006.30495 and earlier, and 2015.006.30493 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 • 06/14/2024
Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications contain a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that affects multiple versions across different release cycles. This flaw exists within the document processing engine responsible for parsing pdf files and can be triggered when the application attempts to read memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and bounds checking mechanisms within the pdf parsing functionality, allowing an attacker to craft malicious pdf documents that exploit this weakness during normal document rendering operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-125, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds read conditions where programs access memory locations beyond the intended buffer limits. When a malicious pdf file is opened, the vulnerable parsing code fails to properly validate array indices or buffer sizes before accessing memory locations, leading to unauthorized data exposure from adjacent memory regions. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited remotely through email attachments or web downloads without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond opening the malicious document.
From an operational perspective, successful exploitation of CVE-2019-7145 can result in significant information disclosure attacks where sensitive data from the application's memory space becomes accessible to attackers. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where pdf documents are frequently exchanged and processed, as it can potentially expose confidential business information, user credentials, or system configuration details stored in memory. The attack surface is broad due to the widespread adoption of Adobe Acrobat and Reader across organizations, making this vulnerability attractive to threat actors seeking to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The exploitability of this vulnerability is further enhanced by the fact that it can be delivered through simple pdf attachments without requiring complex attack chains or additional exploitation techniques.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions to address this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation strategy includes implementing strict document validation policies, deploying sandboxing solutions for pdf processing, and monitoring for suspicious document access patterns. Security teams should also consider network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify potential exploitation attempts through anomalous pdf parsing behavior. Additionally, user education regarding the dangers of opening untrusted pdf documents remains crucial, as social engineering attacks often leverage this type of vulnerability. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.007 for pdf-based payload delivery and T1068 for privilege escalation through application exploitation, highlighting the multi-stage nature of potential attacks that could leverage this weakness in combination with other techniques.