CVE-2023-44367
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a Use After Free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a victim's system. The vulnerability affects users who open malicious PDF files. Exploitation requires user interaction but could lead to full system compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
📦 What is this software?
Acrobat by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the current user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Malicious actor gains control of the affected system, installs malware, steals sensitive documents, or establishes persistence for further attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing, endpoint protection, and user awareness preventing malicious file execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code available at time of analysis.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 23.006.20380 or later for continuous track, 20.005.30539 or later for classic track
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb23-54.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Adobe Acrobat Reader. 2. Go 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 execution which may be used in exploitation chains
Edit > Preferences > JavaScript > Uncheck 'Enable Acrobat JavaScript'
Use Protected View
allOpen untrusted PDFs in Protected View mode to limit potential damage
File > Open > Select 'Protected View' option when opening files
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to block unauthorized PDF readers
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious PDF file execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Adobe Acrobat Reader version against affected versions listCheck Version:
Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader DCVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 23.006.20380+ (continuous) or 20.005.30539+ (classic)📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process creation from Acrobat.exe
- Multiple crash reports from Adobe Reader
- Suspicious file downloads followed by PDF opening
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Acrobat.exe to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains after PDF opening
SIEM Query:
process_name:Acrobat.exe AND (event_id:1 OR event_id:4688) AND parent_process:explorer.exe