CVE-2019-8220
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. Successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise. 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, data theft, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Malicious PDF documents exploiting this vulnerability lead to malware installation, credential theft, and system compromise.
If Mitigated
With proper patching and security controls, impact is limited to isolated incidents with minimal data exposure.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious PDF document. Multiple proof-of-concepts exist in public repositories.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Acrobat DC: 2019.012.20056; Acrobat 2017: 2017.011.30156; Acrobat 2015: 2015.006.30511
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb19-49.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Reader; 2. Navigate to Help > Check for Updates; 3. Follow prompts to install available updates; 4. Restart the application when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript in Adobe Reader
allPrevents JavaScript-based exploitation vectors in PDF files
Edit > Preferences > JavaScript > Uncheck 'Enable Acrobat JavaScript'
Use Protected View
allOpens PDFs in sandboxed mode to limit potential damage
File > Properties > Security > Enable Protected View for all files
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to block unauthorized PDF readers
- Deploy network segmentation to isolate PDF processing systems
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Open Adobe Acrobat/Reader, go to Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader and compare version against affected ranges.Check Version:
On Windows: wmic product where name like "Adobe Acrobat%" get version; On macOS: /usr/bin/defaults read /Applications/Adobe\ Acrobat\ Reader\ DC.app/Contents/Info.plist CFBundleShortVersionStringVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is at or above: DC: 2019.012.20056, 2017: 2017.011.30156, 2015: 2015.006.30511📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Adobe crash reports with memory access violations
- Windows Event Logs showing Acrobat/Reader process termination with error codes
- Unexpected child processes spawned from Acrobat/Reader
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Acrobat/Reader to suspicious IPs
- DNS queries for known malicious domains following PDF opening
SIEM Query:
source="*acrobat*" OR source="*reader*" AND (event_id=1000 OR event_id=1001) AND (exception_code=0xc0000005 OR exception_code=0xc0000409)