CVE-2019-16462
📋 TL;DR
This is a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening a malicious PDF file. All users running vulnerable versions of Adobe Acrobat or Reader are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Acrobat DC
- Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
- Adobe Acrobat 2017
- Adobe Acrobat Reader 2017
- Adobe Acrobat 2015
- Adobe Acrobat Reader 2015
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the victim's computer, enabling data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Malicious actors deliver weaponized PDFs via phishing campaigns, leading to malware installation, credential theft, or system compromise of individual users.
If Mitigated
With proper security controls like application whitelisting, network segmentation, and user awareness training, exploitation attempts are blocked or contained.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious PDF) but no authentication. Buffer overflow vulnerabilities in widely used software like Adobe Reader are frequently weaponized in real-world attacks.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Update to Acrobat DC 2019.021.20061 or later, Acrobat 2017 2017.011.30156 or later, Acrobat 2015 2015.006.30513 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb19-55.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Reader. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to download and install available updates. 4. Restart the application when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript in Adobe Reader
allDisabling JavaScript reduces attack surface as many PDF exploits rely on JavaScript execution
Edit > Preferences > JavaScript > Uncheck 'Enable Acrobat JavaScript'
Use Protected View
allEnable Protected View for files from potentially unsafe locations
Edit > Preferences > Security (Enhanced) > Enable Protected View for all files from the internet
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application control/whitelisting to block unauthorized PDF readers
- Deploy network segmentation to isolate PDF processing systems and monitor for suspicious PDF-related network traffic
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Adobe Acrobat/Reader version via Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader and compare against affected versionsCheck Version:
On Windows: wmic product where "name like 'Adobe Acrobat%'" get versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is updated to patched versions: DC 2019.021.20061+, 2017 2017.011.30156+, 2015 2015.006.30513+📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs: Application crashes of AcroRd32.exe or Acrobat.exe with exception codes
- Process creation from Adobe Reader with suspicious command lines
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from Adobe Reader processes
- PDF downloads from suspicious sources followed by process execution
SIEM Query:
source="*windows*" (process_name="AcroRd32.exe" OR process_name="Acrobat.exe") AND (event_id="1000" OR exception_code="0xc0000005")