CVE-2022-44512 - Critical Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability in Acrobat Reader DC Potentially Leads To Arbitrary Code Execution

Adobe has recently recognized a serious vulnerability in their Acrobat Reader DC software, which is affected by an out-of-bounds write issue. This vulnerability has been assigned the CVE ID, CVE-2022-44512. This vulnerability could potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim's system. This post aims to provide an in-depth look at CVE-2022-44512, including code snippets, links to original references, and exploit details.

Affected Versions

The out-of-bounds write vulnerability affects Acrobat Reader DC versions 22.001.20085 (and earlier), 20.005.3031x (and earlier), and 17.012.30205 (and earlier). Users are strongly advised to update to the latest version of the software to mitigate the risk of exploitation.

Exploit Details

Exploitation of this vulnerability requires user interaction, as the victim must open a malicious file to be affected. An attacker could craft a PDF file that contains specific data structures, which, when processed by the vulnerable Acrobat Reader DC software, would trigger the out-of-bounds write vulnerability and allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.

Code Snippet

The following is a simplified, high-level code snippet that demonstrates the out-of-bounds write vulnerability:

void vulnerable_function(char *input_data, size_t data_size) {
    char buffer[1024];

    if (data_size > sizeof(buffer)) {
        return; // Return without handling the overflow
    }

    memcpy(buffer, input_data, data_size); // Out-of-bounds write vulnerability
}

In the code above, the vulnerable_function attempts to copy the input data into a fixed-size buffer without properly checking the size of the input data. This can lead to an out-of-bounds write if the input data is larger than the buffer size.

Users can take the following steps to mitigate the risk of exploitation

1. Update Acrobat Reader DC to the latest version: Users should update their Acrobat Reader DC software to the most recent version, which resolves the vulnerability.

2. Disable JavaScript: This vulnerability can be mitigated by disabling JavaScript in Acrobat Reader DC. To do this, navigate to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript, and uncheck the "Enable Acrobat JavaScript" option.

3. Be cautious when opening unknown files: Users should always exercise caution, particularly when opening PDF files from unknown or untrusted sources.

Original References

1. Adobe Security Bulletin: APSB22-08

2. NIST National Vulnerability Database: CVE-2022-44512

Conclusion

CVE-2022-44512 is a critical out-of-bounds write vulnerability affecting multiple versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim's system. Users are strongly advised to update to the latest version of Acrobat Reader DC and follow best security practices to mitigate the risk of exploitation.

Timeline

Published on: 12/19/2024 00:15:05 UTC