Posted by Virus Bulletin on Sep 18, 2006
Researcher lists security issues with document format.
A researcher analysing the possibility of exploiting vulnerabilities in the Adobe PDF file format has released a lengthy list of ways in which the format can be used to breach security. UK-based penetration tester David Kierznowski claims '7 or more points' are open to hackers wishing to execute malicious code.
Two of the vulnerabilities are demonstrated on the researcher's site, including functioning examples of exploits. One uses JavaScript to automatically access a remote site when the document is opened, while the second accesses local ODBC databases and could be used to harvest private data.
'These holes sound serious,' said John Hawes, Technical Consultant at Virus Bulletin. 'With these backdoors uncovered, we can be pretty sure they'll be put to use in some way by malware writers hoping to gain access to our computers. Until Adobe finds a way to fix these issues, web users should take care when opening PDFs from untrusted sites.'
The research can be read here. Adobe is believed to be investigating the issues.
Posted on 18 September 2006 by Virus Bulletin
