CVE-2020-9599
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader that could allow attackers to read sensitive memory contents. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure, potentially exposing confidential data. Users running affected versions of Adobe Acrobat or Reader are vulnerable.
💻 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
Attackers could read sensitive memory contents including passwords, encryption keys, or other confidential data from the application's memory space, potentially leading to further system compromise.
Likely Case
Information disclosure where attackers can read limited memory contents, potentially exposing some application data or system information.
If Mitigated
With proper controls like memory protection mechanisms and updated software, impact is limited to potential application crashes without data compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious PDF file. No public exploit code was available at disclosure time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Acrobat DC: 2020.009.20063 or later; Acrobat 2017: 2017.011.30173 or later; Acrobat 2015: 2015.006.30523 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb20-24.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 can prevent exploitation of some PDF-based vulnerabilities
Edit > Preferences > JavaScript > Uncheck 'Enable Acrobat JavaScript'
Use Protected View
allEnable Protected View for files from potentially untrusted sources
Edit > Preferences > Security (Enhanced) > Enable Protected View for all files from the internet
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict PDF file opening to trusted sources only
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized PDF readers
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Adobe Acrobat/Reader version via Help > About Adobe Acrobat/Reader and compare with affected versionsCheck Version:
On Windows: wmic product where "name like 'Adobe Acrobat%'" get version; On macOS: /usr/bin/mdls -name kMDItemVersion /Applications/Adobe\ Acrobat\ Reader\ DC.appVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is updated to patched versions: DC: 2020.009.20063+, 2017: 2017.011.30173+, 2015: 2015.006.30523+📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes in Adobe Acrobat/Reader logs
- Unexpected memory access errors in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of PDF files from untrusted sources
- Unusual outbound connections after PDF file opening
SIEM Query:
source="*acrobat*" AND (event_type="crash" OR error="memory" OR error="access")