Security News PDF Files Can Be Abused to Steal Windows Credentials (All PDF readers are most likely vulnerable)

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https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/pdf-files-can-be-abused-to-steal-windows-credentials/

PDF files can be weaponized by malicious actors to steal Windows credentials (NTLM hashes) without any user interaction, and only by opening a file, according to Assaf Baharav, a security researcher with cyber-security Check Point.

Baharav published research this week showing how a malicious actor could take advantage of features natively found in the PDF standard to steal NTLM hashes, the format in which Windows stores user credentials.

"The PDF specification allows loading remote content for the GoToE & GoToR entries," Baharav told Bleeping Computer today.


Stealing Windows credentials via PDF and SMB
For his research, Baharav created a PDF document that would utilize these two PDF functions. When someone would open this file, the PDF document would automatically make a request to a remote malicious SMB server.
... ... ...

All PDF readers are most likely vulnerable

Now, Baharav has shown that PDF files are just as dangerous. The Check Point researcher told Bleeping Computer that he only field-tested the attack on Adobe Acrobat and FoxIT Reader.

"We chose to test these two high profile PDF readers," Baharav told us. "Regarding the others, we highly suspect they may be vulnerable as well."

"We followed a 90 days disclosure policy by notifying only Adobe and Foxit regarding the issues," Baharav says.

 

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Any more details available?

For example, does this affect the PDF viewing support embedded within the Chromium engine?