Vulnerabilities > CVE-2020-3803 - Uncontrolled Search Path Element vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat DC
Attack vector
LOCAL Attack complexity
LOW Privileges required
NONE Confidentiality impact
HIGH Integrity impact
HIGH Availability impact
HIGH Summary
Adobe Acrobat and Reader versions 2020.006.20034 and earlier, 2017.011.30158 and earlier, 2017.011.30158 and earlier, 2015.006.30510 and earlier, and 2015.006.30510 and earlier have an insecure library loading (dll hijacking) vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to privilege escalation.
Vulnerable Configurations
Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
- Leveraging/Manipulating Configuration File Search Paths This attack loads a malicious resource into a program's standard path used to bootstrap and/or provide contextual information for a program like a path variable or classpath. J2EE applications and other component based applications that are built from multiple binaries can have very long list of dependencies to execute. If one of these libraries and/or references is controllable by the attacker then application controls can be circumvented by the attacker. A standard UNIX path looks similar to this If the attacker modifies the path variable to point to a locale that includes malicious resources then the user unwittingly can execute commands on the attackers' behalf: This is a form of usurping control of the program and the attack can be done on the classpath, database resources, or any other resources built from compound parts. At runtime detection and blocking of this attack is nearly impossible, because the configuration allows execution.
- DLL Search Order Hijacking The attacker exploits the functionality of the Windows DLL loader where the process loading the DLL searches for the DLL to be loaded first in the same directory in which the process binary resides and then in other directories (e.g., System32). Exploitation of this preferential search order can allow an attacker to make the loading process load the attackers' rogue DLL rather than the legitimate DLL. For instance, an attacker with access to the file system may place a malicious ntshrui.dll in the C:\Windows directory. This DLL normally resides in the System32 folder. Process explorer.exe which also resides in C:\Windows, upon trying to load the ntshrui.dll from the System32 folder will actually load the DLL supplied by the attacker simply because of the preferential search order. Since the attacker has placed its malicious ntshrui.dll in the same directory as the loading explorer.exe process, the DLL supplied by the attacker will be found first and thus loaded in lieu of the legitimate DLL. Since explorer.exe is loaded during the boot cycle, the attackers' malware is guaranteed to execute. This attack can be leveraged with many different DLLs and with many different loading processes. No forensic trails are left in the system's registry or file system that an incorrect DLL had been loaded.
Nessus
NASL family Windows NASL id ADOBE_READER_APSB20-13.NASL description The version of Adobe Reader installed on the remote Windows host is a version prior or equal to 2015.006.30510, 2017.011.30158, or 2020.006.20034. It is, therefore, affected by multiple vulnerabilities. - Out-of-bounds read potentially leading to Information Disclosure (CVE-2020-3804, CVE-2020-3806) - Out-of-bounds write potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3795) - Stack-based buffer overflow potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3799) - Use-after-free potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3792, CVE-2020-3793, CVE-2020-3801, CVE-2020-3802, CVE-2020-3805) - Memory address leak potentially leading to Information Disclosure (CVE-2020-3800) - Buffer overflow potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3807) - Memory corruption potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3797) - Insecure library loading (DLL hijacking) potentially leading to Privilege Escalation (CVE-2020-3803) Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application last seen 2020-05-16 modified 2020-03-19 plugin id 134706 published 2020-03-19 reporter This script is Copyright (C) 2020 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof. source https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/134706 title Adobe Reader <= 2015.006.30510 / 2017.011.30158 / 2020.006.20034 Multiple Vulnerabilities (APSB20-13) NASL family MacOS X Local Security Checks NASL id MACOS_ADOBE_ACROBAT_APSB20-13.NASL description The version of Adobe Acrobat installed on the remote macOS host is a version prior or equal to 2015.006.30510, 2017.011.30158, or 2020.006.20034. It is, therefore, affected by multiple vulnerabilities. - Out-of-bounds read potentially leading to Information Disclosure (CVE-2020-3804, CVE-2020-3806) - Out-of-bounds write potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3795) - Stack-based buffer overflow potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3799) - Use-after-free potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3792, CVE-2020-3793, CVE-2020-3801, CVE-2020-3802, CVE-2020-3805) - Memory address leak potentially leading to Information Disclosure (CVE-2020-3800) - Buffer overflow potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3807) - Memory corruption potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3797) - Insecure library loading (DLL hijacking) potentially leading to Privilege Escalation (CVE-2020-3803) Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application last seen 2020-05-16 modified 2020-03-19 plugin id 134703 published 2020-03-19 reporter This script is Copyright (C) 2020 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof. source https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/134703 title Adobe Acrobat <= 2015.006.30510 / 2017.011.30158 / 2020.006.20034 Multiple Vulnerabilities (APSB20-13) (macOS) NASL family MacOS X Local Security Checks NASL id MACOS_ADOBE_READER_APSB20-13.NASL description The version of Adobe Reader installed on the remote macOS host is a version prior or equal to 2015.006.30510, 2017.011.30158, or 2020.006.20034. It is, therefore, affected by multiple vulnerabilities. - Out-of-bounds read potentially leading to Information Disclosure (CVE-2020-3804, CVE-2020-3806) - Out-of-bounds write potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3795) - Stack-based buffer overflow potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3799) - Use-after-free potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3792, CVE-2020-3793, CVE-2020-3801, CVE-2020-3802, CVE-2020-3805) - Memory address leak potentially leading to Information Disclosure (CVE-2020-3800) - Buffer overflow potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3807) - Memory corruption potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3797) - Insecure library loading (DLL hijacking) potentially leading to Privilege Escalation (CVE-2020-3803) Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application last seen 2020-05-16 modified 2020-03-19 plugin id 134704 published 2020-03-19 reporter This script is Copyright (C) 2020 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof. source https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/134704 title Adobe Reader <= 2015.006.30510 / 2017.011.30158 / 2020.006.20034 Multiple Vulnerabilities (APSB20-13) (macOS) NASL family Windows NASL id ADOBE_ACROBAT_APSB20-13.NASL description The version of Adobe Acrobat installed on the remote Windows host is a version prior or equal to 2015.006.30510, 2017.011.30158, or 2020.006.20034. It is, therefore, affected by multiple vulnerabilities. - Out-of-bounds read potentially leading to Information Disclosure (CVE-2020-3804, CVE-2020-3806) - Out-of-bounds write potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3795) - Stack-based buffer overflow potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3799) - Use-after-free potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3792, CVE-2020-3793, CVE-2020-3801, CVE-2020-3802, CVE-2020-3805) - Memory address leak potentially leading to Information Disclosure (CVE-2020-3800) - Buffer overflow potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3807) - Memory corruption potentially leading to Arbitrary Code Execution (CVE-2020-3797) - Insecure library loading (DLL hijacking) potentially leading to Privilege Escalation (CVE-2020-3803) Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application last seen 2020-05-16 modified 2020-03-19 plugin id 134705 published 2020-03-19 reporter This script is Copyright (C) 2020 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof. source https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/134705 title Adobe Acrobat <= 2015.006.30510 / 2017.011.30158 / 2020.006.20034 Multiple Vulnerabilities (APSB20-13)