CVE-2023-44337: Unpatched Adobe Acrobat Reader Vulnerability Puts Millions of Users at Risk

Adobe Acrobat Reader versions 23.006.20360 (and earlier) and 20.005.30524 (and earlier) are affected by a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability when parsing a crafted file. This could result in a read past the end of an allocated memory structure. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current user. Exploitation requires user interaction, as a victim must open a malicious file.

Content

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) project has recently disclosed a new vulnerability designated as CVE-2023-44337, affecting Adobe Acrobat Reader software. Millions of users rely on this popular application for viewing, creating, and managing Portable Document Format (PDF) files. However, this vulnerability has serious implications for the security of users' personal information and system integrity.

Adobe Acrobat Reader 202 (Classic) version 20.005.30524 and earlier

According to the official CVE record and Adobe's own security bulletin, this vulnerability is caused by an out-of-bounds read error while handling specially crafted PDF files. This could enable an attacker to read information past the boundary of an allocated memory structure, potentially gaining access to sensitive data or even executing arbitrary code in the context of the affected user.

Here's a code snippet illustrating the vulnerability

char buffer[1024];
int out_of_bounds = 1024;
FILE *crafted_file = fopen("crafted.pdf", "rb");

// Read contents from the crafted file
fread(buffer, 1024, 1, crafted_file);

// The vulnerability occurs here
char read_past_end = buffer[out_of_bounds];

In the above example, the crafted.pdf file has been designed to exploit the out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Upon opening this malicious file, the application would read its contents into the buffer, but the read_past_end variable would access a memory location past the buffer's allocated space, potentially resulting in arbitrary code execution or information exposure.

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must convince the target user to open the malicious PDF file. This could be achieved through social engineering tactics such as email phishing, distributing the file through file-sharing platforms, or embedding it within a seemingly harmless document or webpage.

Original References

- CVE Record: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-44337
- Adobe Security Bulletin: https://www.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb20-67.html

In conclusion, the CVE-2023-44337 vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader poses a significant risk to user security and system integrity. Users should be cautious when opening PDF files from untrusted sources, and they should keep their software up-to-date to minimize the risk of exploitation. Adobe has yet to release a security update addressing this issue, but concerned users can monitor the Adobe Security Advisory page for information on upcoming patches or workarounds as they become available.

Timeline

Published on: 11/16/2023 10:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 11/22/2023 17:16:36 UTC