iDefense Security Advisory 02.08.08: Adobe Reader and Acrobat JavaScript Insecure Method Exposure Vulnerability

iDefense Security Advisory 02.08.08
http://labs.idefense.com/intelligence/vulnerabilities/
Feb 08, 2008

I. BACKGROUND

Adobe Reader is a program for viewing Portable Document Format (PDF)
documents. Acrobat is the program used to create such documents. More
information is available at the following URLs.

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/
http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/

II. DESCRIPTION

Remote exploitation of an insecure method exposed by the JavaScript
library in Adobe Reader and Acrobat could allow an attacker to execute
arbitrary code as the current user.

Adobe Reader and Acrobat implement a version of JavaScript in the
EScript.api plug-in which is based on the reference implementation used
in Mozilla products. One of the methods exposed allows direct control
over low level features of the object, which in turn allows execution
of arbitrary code.

III. ANALYSIS

Exploitation of this vulnerability would allow an attacker to execute
arbitrary code as the current user. In order to exploit this
vulnerability, an attacker would have to convince the targeted user to
open a maliciously constructed file. This file could be sent directly
to the targeted user or linked from a website.

Insufficient error checking is performed on the input which allows,
among other things, attacker-supplied data to be written to arbitrary
offsets in memory, potentially resulting in arbitrary code execution.

IV. DETECTION

iDefense has confirmed this vulnerability exists in Adobe Reader 8.1 on
Windows XP SP2. It is likely that other Adobe products that handle PDF
files, including previous versions of Adobe Reader, are also affected.

V. WORKAROUND

Disabling JavaScript in Adobe Reader or Acrobat will limit exposure to
this vulnerability. When JavaScript is disabled, Adobe Reader will
prompt the user that some components of the document may not function,
and provide an opportunity to enable it.

VI. VENDOR RESPONSE

Adobe released version 8.1.2 of Adobe Reader and Acrobat to address this
vulnerability. Although there is currently no update for version 7.0.9,
Adobe reports it does plan to release one at a later date. For more
information, visit the vendor's advisory at the following URL.

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa08-01.html

VII. CVE INFORMATION

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) project has assigned the
name CVE-2007-5663 to this issue. This is a candidate for inclusion in
the CVE list (http://cve.mitre.org/), which standardizes names for
security problems.

VIII. DISCLOSURE TIMELINE

10/03/2007 Initial vendor notification
10/03/2007 Initial vendor response
10/26/2007 Request for status
10/26/2007 Status - Est. early January
01/04/2008 Request for status
01/04/2008 Status - Scheduled early February
01/28/2008 Adobe plans patch for 8, but not 7
01/30/2008 Concerns about the plan e-mailed to Adobe
01/31/2008 Telephone call to clarify concerns
02/06/2008 Adobe releases 8.1.2
02/07/2008 Adobe publishes APSA08-01
02/08/2008 Public disclosure

IX. CREDIT

This vulnerability was discovered by Greg MacManus of VeriSign iDefense
Labs.

Get paid for vulnerability research
http://labs.idefense.com/methodology/vulnerability/vcp.php

Free tools, research and upcoming events
http://labs.idefense.com/

X. LEGAL NOTICES

Copyright © 2008 iDefense, Inc.

Permission is granted for the redistribution of this alert
electronically. It may not be edited in any way without the express
written consent of iDefense. If you wish to reprint the whole or any
part of this alert in any other medium other than electronically,
please e-mail [email protected] for permission.

Disclaimer: The information in the advisory is believed to be accurate
at the time of publishing based on currently available information. Use
of the information constitutes acceptance for use in an AS IS condition.
There are no warranties with regard to this information. Neither the
author nor the publisher accepts any liability for any direct,
indirect, or consequential loss or damage arising from use of, or
reliance on, this information.