Adobe’s Acrobat Reader, a popular PDF reader, has a vulnerability that allows hackers to remotely run malicious code on a device. This “use after free” flaw, tracked as CVE-2024-41896, occurs when a program tries to access data in a memory location that was previously freed. If a hacker can deploy malicious code in that freed memory, they can compromise the device. The flaw was discovered by cybersecurity researcher Haifei Li, who found that it is being actively exploited in the wild. While the weaponized .PDF files currently only cause crashes, it is likely that other threat actors will start using the exploit now that it has been made public. IT admins should apply the patch released earlier this week to protect their devices. The attack likely starts with a phishing email containing a weaponized .PDF file, which is a common tactic used by hackers. Adobe released a patch last month, but it did not fully address the issue. The bug was ultimately fixed this week and given a new tracking number, CVE-2024-41869.
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