CVE-2019-7769 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 vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the document parsing mechanisms that process pdf files, allowing attackers to craft malicious documents that trigger memory access violations when the application attempts to read data beyond allocated buffer boundaries. The flaw manifests when the software processes specially crafted pdf content that includes malformed or oversized data structures, leading to unintended memory access patterns that can expose sensitive information from adjacent memory locations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions in software systems. When exploited, the vulnerability allows attackers to perform memory access operations that extend beyond the bounds of allocated memory regions, potentially exposing confidential data such as encryption keys, user credentials, or system information stored in adjacent memory segments. The exploitation requires a user to open a maliciously crafted pdf file, making this a typical client-side attack vector that leverages social engineering techniques to deliver the payload. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which encompasses the use of malicious documents to gain initial access to target systems through exploitation of application vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-7769 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the exposure of memory contents could potentially reveal sensitive data that might be used for further attacks. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to extract system information, application state data, or cryptographic material that could aid in more sophisticated exploitation attempts. The widespread adoption of Adobe Acrobat and Reader across enterprise environments makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous, as successful exploitation could compromise large numbers of users simultaneously. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version lines indicates a persistent flaw in the software's memory management and input validation processes, suggesting that the underlying code patterns responsible for handling pdf objects need comprehensive review and remediation.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to address this vulnerability, as no reliable workarounds exist for the out-of-bounds read condition. The recommended mitigation strategy involves deploying the latest security updates from Adobe, which contain fixes for the memory access violations in pdf processing components. Security administrators should also implement network-based detection measures to identify potential exploitation attempts through monitoring for unusual pdf file processing activities. Additionally, user education programs should emphasize the importance of avoiding suspicious pdf files from untrusted sources, as this vulnerability requires user interaction to be exploited successfully. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software applications and implementing comprehensive patch management processes to protect against known security flaws that could be exploited by threat actors.