CVE-2019-8193 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 out-of-bounds read vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure .
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2024
Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications contain a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that affects multiple version ranges including 2019.012.20040 and earlier, 2017.011.30148 and earlier, and 2015.006.30503 and earlier. This vulnerability resides in the handling of PDF files and represents a classic buffer over-read condition where the application attempts to access memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. The flaw manifests when processing malformed PDF content that triggers improper bounds checking during the parsing of specific data structures within the document. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-125 which specifically addresses out-of-bounds read conditions in software implementations. The security implications are severe as successful exploitation could allow attackers to read sensitive memory contents that may contain confidential information such as encryption keys, user credentials, or other system data. The vulnerability enables information disclosure attacks where malicious actors can craft specially designed PDF files to trigger the out-of-bounds read and subsequently extract data from the application's memory space. This presents a significant risk to users who may unknowingly open malicious documents, particularly in enterprise environments where PDF documents are frequently shared and processed. The attack vector is primarily through social engineering campaigns where users are tricked into opening compromised PDF files, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios. The operational impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it could potentially enable further exploitation pathways such as privilege escalation or remote code execution depending on the memory layout and the specific data accessed. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader threat landscape and implement layered security controls including email filtering, web application firewalls, and user education programs. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreter techniques, as attackers may use the information disclosure to gain intelligence for subsequent attacks. The remediation strategy requires immediate patching of all affected versions, with the latest updates from Adobe addressing this specific memory access issue. Additionally, implementing sandboxing mechanisms and restricting PDF processing capabilities in high-risk environments can provide additional defense-in-depth measures. Organizations should also consider deploying automated threat hunting processes to identify potential exploitation attempts and monitor for unusual memory access patterns that may indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. The vulnerability demonstrates the ongoing challenges in PDF processing security and highlights the need for continuous security assessments of document handling components within enterprise applications.