CVE-2020-9744 in Media Encoder
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Media Encoder version 14.3.2 (and earlier versions) has an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could be exploited to read past the end of an allocated buffer, possibly resulting in a crash or disclosure of sensitive information from other memory locations. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2020
Adobe Media Encoder version 14.3.2 and earlier implementations contain a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that manifests when processing specially crafted media files or web content. This vulnerability falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-125, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds read conditions where a program accesses memory beyond the boundaries of a buffer. The flaw occurs during the parsing of media data structures where the application fails to properly validate array indices or buffer limits before accessing memory locations. When a malicious actor crafts a specially formatted media file or web page containing malformed data structures, the Media Encoder application attempts to read memory beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, creating a potential attack vector that could be exploited through user interaction.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application instability, as the out-of-bounds read could potentially expose sensitive memory contents to an attacker. This memory disclosure could reveal confidential information such as encryption keys, user credentials, or other sensitive data stored in adjacent memory locations. The vulnerability requires user interaction to be exploited, meaning that a victim must either visit a malicious webpage or open a crafted media file to trigger the condition. This user interaction requirement aligns with the attack pattern described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the technique T1203, which involves using malicious files or web content to execute code or access sensitive information. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Media Encoder is commonly used for processing multimedia content, making it a frequent target for social engineering attacks that could lead to information disclosure or system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch deployment and user education to prevent exploitation. Adobe has released security updates that address this specific out-of-bounds read condition through proper buffer validation and bounds checking mechanisms. Organizations should implement strict update management policies ensuring all instances of Adobe Media Encoder are upgraded to version 14.4.0 or later, which contains the necessary patches to prevent the memory access violation. Additionally, network security controls such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems can help block access to known malicious domains that might host exploit code. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of input validation and secure coding practices, particularly in multimedia processing applications where complex data structures are parsed and interpreted. Security teams should conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar out-of-bounds read conditions in other media processing applications and implement defensive programming techniques such as bounds checking, memory sanitization, and proper error handling to prevent similar issues from occurring in other software components.