CVE-2026-113576 in Digital Editions
Summary
by MITRE • 10/29/2026
Adobe Digital Editions is affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability that could result in a Security feature bypass. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to bypass security measures and gain unauthorized write access. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file. Scope is changed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2026
Adobe Digital Editions contains an improper limitation on pathname resolution, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal, which allows attackers to bypass security restrictions intended to confine operations within specific directories. This vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input used in file system operations. When the application processes a maliciously crafted filename or resource reference, it fails to properly sanitize sequences such as dot-dot-slash (..) that are designed to move up the directory hierarchy. By manipulating these path components, an attacker can redirect file read and write operations away from the intended restricted location to arbitrary locations on the host operating system's file structure. This flaw effectively neutralizes the security boundary established by the application sandbox or access controls, leading directly to a security feature bypass where the software performs actions outside its authorized scope without raising appropriate alerts or errors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant because it grants unauthorized write access to arbitrary files on the victim's system. While many path traversal vulnerabilities are limited to reading sensitive configuration files or source code, the ability to write data expands the potential for exploitation considerably. An attacker could overwrite critical application binaries, inject malicious scripts into web-accessible directories if applicable, modify user documents, or place malware in startup locations that persist across reboots. This capability transforms a simple information disclosure risk into a full system compromise vector, depending on the privileges under which Adobe Digital Editions is executed. If the application runs with elevated permissions, such as administrator rights, the impact escalates to complete control over the affected machine. Even at standard user levels, write access allows for persistent threats and further lateral movement within an enterprise environment if the compromised device serves as a pivot point.
Exploitation of this vulnerability requires direct user interaction, specifically the act of opening or importing a malicious file into Adobe Digital Editions. This dependency on social engineering means that attackers must craft deceptive documents designed to trick users into loading them within the application context. The scope is changed from the original security boundary because the attack allows access beyond the initial sandboxed environment of the ebook reader. Once triggered, the path traversal logic executes during the file processing phase, allowing the attacker's payload to be written to a target location determined by the crafted input string. This mechanism highlights the importance of strict input validation and canonicalization techniques in application development, particularly for software handling external content from untrusted sources like publishers or peer-to-peer sharing networks where malicious payloads may be disguised as legitimate digital books or DRM-protected files.
To mitigate this vulnerability, Adobe has released patches that address the underlying code flaws responsible for the improper pathname limitation. Users should immediately update to the latest version of Adobe Digital Editions to ensure these security fixes are applied. In addition to patching, administrators and end-users can adopt defense-in-depth strategies such as restricting application permissions through operating system-level controls like User Account Control on Windows or sandboxing tools that limit file system write access for specific applications. Network monitoring solutions should also be configured to detect anomalous outbound connections or unusual file creation patterns associated with Adobe Digital Editions processes, which may indicate active exploitation attempts. Regular security awareness training is essential to help users recognize and avoid opening suspicious files from unverified sources, thereby reducing the likelihood of successful user interaction required for this exploit chain.