CVE-2023-44372
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a Use After Free vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader that could allow arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious PDF file. Affected users include anyone running vulnerable versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (continuous track) or 2020 (classic track). Successful exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious file.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
- Adobe Acrobat Reader 2020
📦 What is this software?
Acrobat by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining the same privileges as the current user, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Malicious code execution leading to credential theft, data exfiltration, or installation of additional malware payloads.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper application sandboxing and user privilege restrictions, potentially containing the exploit to the application context.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious file). No public exploit code identified in references.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: DC: 23.006.20380 or later; 2020: 20.005.30539 or later
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 chain
Edit > Preferences > JavaScript > Uncheck 'Enable Acrobat JavaScript'
Use Protected View
allOpen PDFs in Protected View mode to restrict potentially malicious content
File > Open > Check 'Open in Protected View' or use default Protected View settings
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user permissions to prevent execution of arbitrary code
- Implement application whitelisting to block unauthorized executables
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Adobe Acrobat Reader version in Help > About Adobe Acrobat Reader DCCheck Version:
On Windows: wmic product where name="Adobe Acrobat Reader DC" get versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 23.006.20380 or later for DC track, or 20.005.30539 or later for 2020 track📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected process crashes of AcroRd32.exe
- Suspicious child processes spawned from Adobe Reader
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from Adobe Reader process
- DNS requests to suspicious domains after PDF opening
SIEM Query:
Process Creation where Parent Process Name contains "AcroRd32" and Command Line contains suspicious patterns🔗 References
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb23-54.htm
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb23-54.html
- https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1842
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb23-54.htm
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb23-54.html
- https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1842
