Adobe Acrobat Reader DC Continuous Track Security Technical Implementation Guide

PDFs have evolved from static pages to complex documents with features such as interactive forms, multimedia content, scripting, and other capabilities. These features leave PDFs vulnerable to malicious scripts or actions that can damage the computer or steal data. The Enhanced security feature protects the computer against these threats by blocking or selectively permitting actions for trusted locations and files. Enhanced Security determines if a PDF is viewed within a standalone application. A threat to users of Adobe Reader DC is opening a PDF file that contains malicious executable content. Enhanced Security “hardens” the application against risky actions: prevents cross domain access, prohibits script and data injection, blocks stream access to XObjects, silent printing, and execution of high privilege JavaScript. Satisfies: SRG-APP-000112, SRG-APP-000206, SRG-APP-000207, SRG-APP-000209, SRG-APP-000210

PDFs have evolved from static pages to complex documents with features such as interactive forms, multimedia content, scripting, and other capabilities. These features leave PDFs vulnerable to malicious scripts or actions that can damage the computer or steal data. The Enhanced security feature protects the computer against these threats by blocking or selectively permitting actions for trusted locations and files. Enhanced Security determines if a PDF is viewed within a browser application. A threat to users of Adobe Reader DC is opening a PDF file that contains malicious executable content. Enhanced Security “hardens” the application against risky actions: prevents cross domain access, prohibits script and data injection, blocks stream access to XObjects, silent printing, and execution of high privilege JavaScript. Satisfies: SRG-APP-000112, SRG-APP-000206, SRG-APP-000207, SRG-APP-000209, SRG-APP-000210

A threat to users of Adobe Reader DC is opening a PDF file that contains malicious executable content. Protected mode provides a sandbox capability that prevents malicious PDF files from launching arbitrary executable files, writing to system directories or the Windows registry. This isolation of the PDFs reduces the risk of security breaches in areas outside the sandbox. Satisfies: SRG-APP-000112, SRG-APP-000206, SRG-APP-000207, SRG-APP-000209, SRG-APP-000210

A threat to users of Adobe Reader DC is opening a PDF file that contains malicious executable content. Protected view restricts Adobe Reader DC functionality, within a sandbox, when a PDF is opened from an untrusted source. This isolation of the PDFs reduces the risk of security breaches in areas outside the sandbox. Satisfies: SRG-APP-000112, SRG-APP-000206, SRG-APP-000207, SRG-APP-000209, SRG-APP-000210

Clicking any link to the Internet poses a potential security risk. Malicious websites can transfer harmful content or silently gather data. Acrobat Reader documents can connect to websites which can pose a potential threat to DoD systems and that functionality must be blocked. However, PDF document workflows that are trusted (e.g., DoD-created) can benefit from leveraging legitimate website access with minimal risk. Therefore, the ISSO may approve of website access and accept the risk if the access provides benefit and is a trusted site or the risk associated with accessing the site has been mitigated. Adobe Reader must block access to all websites that are not specifically allowed by ISSO risk acceptance. Satisfies: SRG-APP-000112, SRG-APP-000206, SRG-APP-000207, SRG-APP-000209, SRG-APP-000210

Because Internet access is a potential security risk, clicking any unknown website link to the Internet poses a potential security risk. Malicious websites can transfer harmful content or silently gather data. Satisfies: SRG-APP-000112, SRG-APP-000206, SRG-APP-000207, SRG-APP-000209, SRG-APP-000210

Attachments represent a potential security risk because they can contain malicious content, open other dangerous files, or launch applications. Certainly file types such as .bin, .exe, .bat, and so on will be recognized as threats. This feature prevents users from opening or launching file types other than PDF or FDF and disables the menu option. Satisfies: SRG-APP-000112, SRG-APP-000206, SRG-APP-000207, SRG-APP-000209, SRG-APP-000210

Flash content is commonly hosted on a web page, but it can also be embedded in PDF and other documents. Flash could be used to surreptitious install malware on the end-users computer. Flash Content restricts Adobe Reader DC not to play Flash content within a PDF. Satisfies: SRG-APP-000112, SRG-APP-000206, SRG-APP-000207, SRG-APP-000209, SRG-APP-000210

By default, Adobe online services are tightly integrated in Adobe Reader DC. With the integration of Adobe Document Cloud, disabling this feature prevents the risk of additional attack vectors. Within Adobe Reader DC, the Adobe Cloud resources require a paid subscription for each service.

By default, Adobe online services are tightly integrated in Adobe Reader DC. When the Adobe Cloud synchronization is disabled it prevents the synchronization of desktop preferences across devices on which the user is signed in with an Adobe ID (including phones).

When 3rd Party Web Connectors are disabled it prevents the configuration of Adobe Reader DC access to third party services for file storage.

When Webmail is disabled the user cannot configure a webmail account to send an open PDF document as an attachment. Users should have the ability to send documents as Microsoft Outlook attachments. The difference is that Outlook must be configured by the administrator on the local machine.

Disabling SharePoint disables or removes the user’s ability to add a SharePoint account access controls the application's ability to detect that a file came from a SharePoint server, and disables the check-out prompt.

Privileged Locations allow the user to selectively trust files, folders, and hosts to bypass some security restrictions, such as enhanced security and protected view. By default, the user can create privileged locations through the GUI. Disabling Trusted Files and Folders disables and locks the end user's ability to add folders and files as a privileged location prevents them from assigning trust and thereby exempting that location from enhanced security restrictions.

Privileged Locations allow the user to selectively trust files, folders, and hosts to bypass some security restrictions, such as enhanced security and protected view. By default, the user can create privileged locations through the GUI. Disabling IE Trusts to Privileged Locations disables and locks the end user's ability to treat IE trusted sites as a privileged location prevents them from assigning trust and thereby exempting that location from enhanced security restrictions.