CVE-2021-31498

Vulnerability

This vulnerability resides in the parsing of DWF files by OpenText Brava! Desktop version 16.6.3.84. The specific flaw is a lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated data structure. This out-of-bounds read occurs when the application processes a specially crafted DWF file [1].

Exploitation

An attacker must convince a user to visit a malicious web page or open a malicious DWF file. No authentication or special network position is required; the attack is remote but relies on user interaction. The attacker crafts a DWF file that triggers the out-of-bounds read when parsed by the vulnerable Brava! Desktop installation [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation leads to information disclosure of sensitive data from the process memory. The CVSS score is 3.3 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N), indicating low severity with limited confidentiality impact. The advisory notes that an attacker could leverage this vulnerability in conjunction with other flaws to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process [1].

Mitigation

As of the advisory publication date (June 2021), no official fix has been released by OpenText. The ZDI advisory indicates the vendor was notified but did not provide a patch [1]. Users should exercise caution when opening DWF files from untrusted sources and consider using alternative software until a fix is available.