CVE-2019-8187 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions , 2019.012.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30148 and earlier, 2017.011.30148 and earlier, 2015.006.30503 and earlier, and 2015.006.30503 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 • 01/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-8187 represents a critical use after free flaw affecting multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader software. This vulnerability manifests in versions including but not limited to 2019.012.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30148 and earlier, and 2015.006.30503 and earlier, creating a significant security risk across a broad range of Adobe document processing applications. The flaw resides in the memory management handling of specific document objects within the Adobe Acrobat and Reader rendering engines, where improper memory deallocation occurs before subsequent memory access attempts.
This use after free vulnerability stems from inadequate memory management controls that allow attackers to manipulate the application's memory state by triggering specific document processing sequences. The technical implementation involves the application freeing memory resources associated with certain objects while the program continues to reference those freed memory locations, creating opportunities for malicious code injection. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-416, which specifically addresses the use of freed memory conditions that can result in unpredictable behavior and potential code execution. The flaw operates by exploiting the timing gap between memory deallocation and subsequent memory access, allowing attackers to overwrite freed memory with malicious payloads before the application attempts to access the freed resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation or denial of service scenarios, as successful exploitation can result in full arbitrary code execution within the context of the affected application. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through maliciously crafted PDF documents that, when opened by vulnerable versions of Adobe Acrobat or Reader, trigger the memory corruption conditions. The attack surface is particularly concerning given the widespread adoption of Adobe Reader across enterprise and consumer environments, where users frequently encounter PDF documents from untrusted sources. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which covers the execution of malicious code through application execution, and represents a classic example of how memory corruption vulnerabilities can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to systems. The potential for remote code execution makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where PDF documents are commonly shared through email systems, web portals, and document management platforms.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by updating to patched versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader, specifically targeting the versions that have addressed this use after free vulnerability. The mitigation strategy should include implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of untrusted PDF documents, deploying network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts, and conducting comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify systems running vulnerable versions. Security teams should also consider implementing sandboxing technologies to isolate PDF processing activities and reduce the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The remediation process must account for the widespread deployment of Adobe Reader across organizations, requiring careful planning and testing to ensure that patch deployment does not disrupt critical business operations while maintaining adequate security postures against this and similar memory corruption vulnerabilities.