CVE-2022-35709 in Adobe
Summary
by MITRE • 09/19/2022
Adobe Bridge version 12.0.2 (and earlier) and 11.1.3 (and earlier) are affected by a Use After Free vulnerability that could lead to disclosure of sensitive 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 • 10/18/2022
Adobe Bridge versions 12.0.2 and earlier, as well as 11.1.3 and earlier, contain a critical use after free vulnerability that presents significant security risks to affected systems. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-416, which specifically addresses use after free conditions where memory is accessed after it has been freed, creating opportunities for memory corruption and exploitation. The flaw exists in the application's handling of maliciously crafted files that trigger improper memory management during processing operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows an attacker to manipulate memory allocation patterns within Adobe Bridge's runtime environment. When a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, the application's memory management routines execute code that frees memory blocks while still maintaining references to them. This creates a scenario where subsequent memory operations can overwrite freed memory locations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or information disclosure. The vulnerability specifically impacts the application's ability to properly manage memory resources during file processing operations, creating a window of opportunity for exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution capabilities as it enables attackers to bypass important security mitigations such as Address Space Layout Randomization. ASLR is a critical defense mechanism that randomizes memory layout to prevent exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities, but this use after free flaw effectively neutralizes these protections by allowing precise memory manipulation. The requirement for user interaction through file opening creates a social engineering vector where attackers must convince victims to open malicious files, though once executed, the vulnerability can provide extensive access to system resources and potentially escalate privileges.
Security professionals should immediately implement mitigation strategies including restricting user access to potentially malicious files, deploying application whitelisting solutions, and ensuring timely patching of affected Adobe Bridge installations. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts and maintain comprehensive incident response procedures. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management practices in software development and highlights the necessity of regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar issues before they can be exploited in the wild. This particular flaw underscores the critical nature of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing layered security controls to protect against sophisticated attack vectors that leverage memory corruption vulnerabilities.