CVE-2022-44513 in Acrobat Reader
Summary
by MITRE • 12/19/2024
Acrobat Reader DC version 22.001.20085 (and earlier), 20.005.3031x (and earlier) and 17.012.30205 (and earlier) are affected by an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. 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 • 12/19/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical out-of-bounds write flaw in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC across multiple version ranges including 22.001.20085 and earlier, 20.005.3031x and earlier, and 17.012.30205 and earlier. The flaw occurs within the document parsing functionality when processing specially crafted PDF files, allowing an attacker to write data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory buffers. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-787, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds writes that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability requires user interaction to be exploited, meaning a victim must open a maliciously crafted PDF file for the attack to succeed, making it a prime example of a user-initiated attack vector.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates how improper bounds checking in PDF parsing routines can be leveraged by attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. When Acrobat Reader processes a malformed PDF document, the application fails to validate the size and boundaries of data structures before writing to memory, creating opportunities for attackers to inject malicious code into the application's memory space. This memory corruption can be manipulated to redirect program execution flow, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user. The attack surface is particularly concerning given Acrobat Reader's widespread deployment and the common practice of opening PDF files from untrusted sources.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations that rely on Acrobat Reader for document processing and viewing. The requirement for user interaction limits the scope of automated exploitation but does not eliminate the threat, as social engineering campaigns can effectively trick users into opening malicious attachments. The impact extends beyond individual user compromise to potentially enable further attacks within a network, as successful exploitation could lead to privilege escalation or lateral movement. Organizations should consider this vulnerability in their threat modeling and incident response planning, particularly given that PDF files are frequently used in business communications and document sharing environments.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate remediation through Adobe's security updates and patches, while also implementing defensive measures such as email filtering, web application firewalls, and user education programs. Organizations should consider deploying sandboxing solutions for PDF processing and implementing strict access controls for document handling. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1204.002, which involves user execution through malicious files, and T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter usage. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify systems running affected versions, while incident response teams should be prepared to handle potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations may want to consider alternative document viewing solutions or implement additional layers of security controls to reduce the attack surface and protect against similar vulnerabilities in the future.