CVE-2020-9668 in Genuine Service
Summary
by MITRE • 04/17/2021
Adobe Genuine Service version 6.6 (and earlier) is affected by an Improper Access control vulnerability when handling symbolic links. An unauthenticated attacker could exploit this to elevate privileges in the context of the current user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-9668 resides within Adobe Genuine Service version 6.6 and earlier implementations, representing a critical improper access control flaw that fundamentally compromises system security. This vulnerability specifically manifests during the handling of symbolic links, which are file system constructs that provide references to other files or directories. The flaw enables an unauthenticated attacker to exploit the service's insufficient validation mechanisms when processing these symbolic link references, creating a pathway for privilege escalation.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control enforcement within the Adobe Genuine Service component. When the service processes symbolic links, it fails to properly verify the target paths or enforce appropriate access restrictions, allowing malicious actors to manipulate file system references. This improper handling creates a condition where symbolic links can be used to bypass normal access controls and potentially gain elevated privileges within the user context. The vulnerability operates at the file system level, where symbolic links are resolved without sufficient security checks, enabling attackers to redirect file operations to unintended locations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant threat to system integrity and user security. An unauthenticated attacker can leverage this weakness to execute privilege escalation attacks without requiring prior authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous in environments where Adobe Genuine Service runs with elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects the current user context, meaning that successful exploitation could allow attackers to access sensitive user data, modify system files, or potentially establish persistent access. The attack surface is expanded by the fact that this service typically runs with elevated privileges, making the privilege escalation impact more severe than typical file system vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-9668 should prioritize immediate patching of Adobe Genuine Service to version 6.7 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Organizations should also implement monitoring for suspicious symbolic link usage patterns and file system access anomalies that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers local privilege escalation through service exploitation. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the affected Adobe Genuine Service version and ensure proper access controls are enforced for symbolic link processing. Additionally, implementing least privilege principles for service execution and regular security audits of file system operations can help reduce the risk of exploitation.
The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws in system services can create significant security risks, particularly when dealing with file system constructs like symbolic links that are fundamental to operating system functionality. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of broader security hygiene practices, ensuring that all Adobe products are kept up to date with the latest security patches. The exploitation of such vulnerabilities highlights the importance of comprehensive security testing, including static code analysis and dynamic runtime monitoring, to identify and remediate improper access control conditions before they can be leveraged by malicious actors.