CVE-2021-36071 in Adobe
Summary
by MITRE • 09/01/2021
Adobe Bridge versions 11.1 (and earlier) are affected by an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of arbitrary memory. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass mitigations such as ASLR. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2021
Adobe Bridge version 11.1 and earlier contains a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that falls under the CWE-129 weakness category, specifically representing an improper input validation flaw. This vulnerability exists within the application's handling of malformed input data during file processing operations, where the software fails to properly validate array indices or buffer boundaries before accessing memory locations. The flaw manifests when the application processes specially crafted files that trigger memory access beyond allocated boundaries, potentially allowing attackers to read arbitrary memory contents from the application's address space.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires a user interaction vector, making it a client-side attack that depends on social engineering to deliver malicious files to unsuspecting users. When a victim opens a crafted file, the out-of-bounds read condition causes the application to access memory locations that should not be accessible, potentially exposing sensitive data such as stack canaries, heap metadata, or other security-relevant information. This memory disclosure capability directly undermines modern exploit mitigations including address space layout randomization, as the leaked memory addresses can reveal the memory layout of the process and enable more sophisticated exploitation techniques.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with critical information needed for advanced exploitation methods. The leaked memory addresses can be used to defeat ASLR protections by revealing the base addresses of loaded libraries or the application's memory segments, effectively neutralizing one of the primary defenses against exploitation. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for application execution and T1068 for exploit development, as it represents a foundational weakness that enables further attack vectors. The vulnerability affects users who frequently process files from untrusted sources or those who work with creative assets from external collaborators, making it particularly dangerous in professional creative environments.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of Adobe Bridge installations to address this vulnerability, as the lack of exploit complexity combined with the requirement for user interaction makes it a significant risk. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and bounds checking in preventing memory corruption issues, which aligns with security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts and implement network-based detection measures to identify potential malicious file delivery attempts, while also educating users about the risks of opening untrusted files from unknown sources. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of how seemingly minor input validation flaws can have substantial security implications, particularly in applications that process complex file formats and are frequently used in creative workflows where user interaction is expected and common.