CVE-2022-44520 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 a use-after-free 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
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-44520 represents a critical use-after-free flaw affecting 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. This vulnerability resides within the PDF processing engine of the software and constitutes a serious security risk that could potentially allow remote code execution when a user opens a maliciously crafted PDF file. The flaw manifests as a classic use-after-free condition where memory that has been freed is subsequently accessed, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate program execution flow and inject malicious code into the target system.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it under CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software development. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed, allowing attackers to control the memory contents and potentially execute arbitrary code. The exploitation requires user interaction, specifically that a victim must open a malicious file, making this a typical client-side attack vector that relies on social engineering to succeed. The attack chain begins with the delivery of a specially crafted PDF file that contains malicious code designed to trigger the memory corruption when processed by the vulnerable Acrobat Reader application.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to enterprise environments where Adobe Acrobat Reader is widely deployed for document processing and viewing. The requirement for user interaction means that successful exploitation typically involves phishing campaigns or other social engineering techniques to convince users to open malicious attachments. Once executed, the vulnerability could enable attackers to gain arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the current user, potentially leading to full system compromise, data exfiltration, or further lateral movement within the network. The widespread adoption of Adobe Reader across organizations makes this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to maximize their attack surface.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patch management to address this vulnerability, as Adobe has released security updates for affected versions. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive endpoint protection measures, user education programs to recognize suspicious email attachments, and network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should implement application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of unauthorized PDF processing applications and consider deploying sandboxing technologies to isolate PDF file processing activities. Additionally, the vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation for privilege escalation, and T1566, which covers social engineering tactics, making it a comprehensive threat that requires layered defensive approaches. The use-after-free nature of this vulnerability also emphasizes the importance of memory safety practices and regular security code reviews in software development processes to prevent similar issues from occurring in future releases.