CVE-2020-9593 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2020.006.20042 and earlier, 2017.011.30166 and earlier, 2017.011.30166 and earlier, and 2015.006.30518 and earlier have an invalid memory access vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/18/2020
Adobe Acrobat and Reader applications contain a critical invalid memory access vulnerability that affects multiple version ranges including 2020.006.20042 and earlier, 2017.011.30166 and earlier, and 2015.006.30518 and earlier. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which represents out-of-bounds read conditions where applications access memory locations beyond the intended buffer boundaries. The flaw occurs during the processing of specially crafted pdf documents that trigger improper memory handling routines within the application's parsing engine. When maliciously constructed pdf files are opened, the software attempts to access memory regions that have not been properly allocated or validated, creating opportunities for attackers to exploit this memory corruption issue.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability can result in information disclosure through memory corruption that may expose sensitive data residing in adjacent memory locations. Attackers can craft malicious pdf documents that, when opened by vulnerable versions of Adobe Acrobat or Reader, cause the application to read from unauthorized memory addresses. This memory access violation can potentially reveal confidential information such as encryption keys, user credentials, or other sensitive data stored in the application's memory space. The vulnerability represents a significant security risk as it can be leveraged to extract information from the targeted system without requiring elevated privileges. According to the ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with the T1059 technique for execution through malicious documents, and T1005 for data collection through memory access violations.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-9593 extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation or remote code execution in certain scenarios. Organizations using affected Adobe products face significant risk as pdf documents are commonly used for business communications and document sharing across various industries. The vulnerability affects both desktop and mobile versions of the software, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where pdf files are frequently exchanged between users. Security teams must consider this vulnerability as part of their broader threat landscape, particularly in environments where pdf processing is common and where sensitive information is handled regularly. The exploitability of this vulnerability is enhanced by the widespread use of Adobe Acrobat and Reader across different platforms and the common practice of opening pdf files without proper security validation.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including prompt patching of all affected Adobe Acrobat and Reader installations to address this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves deploying the latest security updates from Adobe which contain fixes for the memory access violations in the pdf parsing components. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as pdf file validation, sandboxing of pdf processing, and network-based filtering of suspicious pdf content. Monitoring for unusual pdf processing activities or memory access patterns can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should review their pdf handling policies and ensure that only trusted pdf documents are opened in production environments. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current software versions and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that reduce the attack surface for document-based exploits. Regular security assessments should include verification of Adobe product versions and confirmation that all known vulnerabilities have been addressed through appropriate patch management procedures.