1. InfoconDB
  2. DEF CON
  3. DEF CON 23 (2015)
  4. Abusing Adobe Reader's JavaScript APIs

Abusing Adobe Reader's JavaScript APIs

Presented at DEF CON 23 (2015), Aug. 9, 2015, 10 a.m. (60 minutes).

Adobe Reader's JavaScript APIs offer a rich set of functionality for document authors. These APIs allow for processing forms, controlling multimedia events, and communicating with databases, all of which provide end-users the ability to create complex documents. This complexity provides a perfect avenue for attackers to take advantage of weaknesses that exist in Reader's JavaScript APIs.

In this talk, we will provide insight into both the documented and undocumented APIs available in Adobe Reader. Several code auditing techniques will be shared to aid in vulnerability discovery, along with numerous proofs-of-concept which highlight real-world examples. We'll detail out how to chain several unique issues to obtain execution in a privileged context. Finally, we'll describe how to construct an exploit that achieves remote code execution without the need for memory corruption.


Presenters:

  • Brian Gorenc - Manager, HP’s Zero Day Initiative
    Brian Gorenc is the manager of Vulnerability Research with Hewlett-Packard Security Research (HPSR). In this role, Gorenc leads the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) program, which is the world’s largest vendor-agnostic bug bounty program. His focus includes analyzing and performing root-cause analysis on hundreds of zero-day vulnerabilities submitted by ZDI researchers from around the world. The ZDI works to expose and remediate weaknesses in the world’s most popular software. Brian is also responsible for organizing the ever-popular Pwn2Own hacking competitions. Prior to joining HP, Gorenc worked for Lockheed Martin on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. In this role, he led the development effort on the Information Assurance (IA) products in the JSF’s mission planning environment. Twitter: @maliciousinput
  • Abdul-Aziz Hariri - Security Researcher, HP’s Zero Day Initiative
    Abdul-Aziz Hariri is a security researcher with Hewlett-Packard Security Research (HPSR). In this role, Hariri analyzes and performs root-cause analysis on hundreds of vulnerabilities submitted to the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) program, which is the world's largest vendor-agnostic bug bounty program. His focus includes performing root-cause analysis, fuzzing and exploit development. Prior to joining HP, Hariri worked as an independent security researcher and threat analyst for Morgan Stanley emergency response team. During his time as an independent researcher, he was profiled by Wired magazine in their 2012 article, “Portrait of a Full-Time Bug Hunter”. Twitter: @abdhariri
  • Jasiel Spelman - Security Researcher, HP’s Zero Day Initiative
    Jasiel Spelman is a vulnerability analyst and exploit developer for the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) program. His primary role involves performing root cause analysis on ZDI submissions to determine exploitability, followed by developing exploits for accepted cases. Prior to being part of ZDI, Jasiel was a member of the Digital Vaccine team where he wrote exploits for ZDI submissions, and helped develop the ReputationDV service from TippingPoint. Jasiel's focus started off in the networking world but then shifted to development until transitioning to security. He has a BA in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. Twitter: @wanderingglitch

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