CVE-2019-8060
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a command injection vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader that allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems. Successful exploitation could lead to remote code execution with the privileges of the current user. 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 affected system, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Remote code execution allowing attackers to install malware, steal sensitive documents, or use the system as a foothold for further attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if systems are properly segmented, have application whitelisting, or run with minimal privileges.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability allows command injection which typically has low exploitation complexity. No public proof-of-concept was available at the time of the advisory.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Acrobat DC/Reader DC: 2019.012.20036 or later; Acrobat 2017/Reader 2017: 2017.011.30144 or later; Acrobat 2015/Reader 2015: 2015.006.30499 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb19-41.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Reader. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow the prompts to download and install available updates. 4. Restart the application when prompted. 5. Verify the update by checking Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript in Adobe Reader
allDisabling JavaScript can prevent exploitation of this vulnerability as many command injection attacks rely on JavaScript execution.
Edit > Preferences > JavaScript > Uncheck 'Enable Acrobat JavaScript'
Use Protected View
allEnable Protected View for files from potentially untrusted sources to limit the impact of malicious documents.
Edit > Preferences > Security (Enhanced) > Enable Protected View at startup
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict PDF file handling to trusted sources only and block PDFs from untrusted origins
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries and scripts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the Adobe Acrobat/Reader version by opening the application and going to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader. Compare the version number against the affected ranges listed in the advisory.Check Version:
On Windows: wmic product where "name like 'Adobe Acrobat%' or name like 'Adobe Reader%'" get name, version; On macOS: /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c 'Print CFBundleShortVersionString' /Applications/Adobe\ Acrobat\ Reader\ DC.app/Contents/Info.plistVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify the version number is at or above the patched versions: 2019.012.20036+, 2017.011.30144+, or 2015.006.30499+ depending on your product version.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process creation from Acrobat/Reader processes
- Command execution attempts from PDF viewer context
- Security software alerts for suspicious PDF file behavior
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections initiated by Acrobat/Reader processes to unexpected destinations
- DNS requests for command and control domains from PDF viewer
SIEM Query:
source="*acrobat*" OR source="*reader*" AND (process_creation OR cmd_exec OR suspicious_behavior)