https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=409991
Bug ID: 409991
Summary: Manipulation of encrypted text allows plaintext
revovery
Product: okular
Version: unspecified
Platform: Other
OS: Linux
Status: REPORTED
Severity: normal
Priority: NOR
Component: PDF backend
Assignee: okular-de...@kde.org
Reporter: certb...@bsi.bund.de
Target Milestone: ---
Created attachment 121625
--> https://bugs.kde.org/attachment.cgi?id=121625&action=edit
The attached pdfs exploit the vulnerabilities for Okular v0.26.1. The password
for the encrypted pdf files is 'pass'.
SUMMARY
The attached report analyzes PDF encryption and shows two novel techniques for
breaking the confidentiality of encrypted documents.
Firstly, the PDF feature of partially encrypted documents is abused to wrap the
encrypted part of the document within attacker-controlled content and
therefore, exfiltrate the plaintext once the document is opened by a legitimate
user. Secondly, abusing a flaw in the PDF encryption specification allows an
attacker to arbitrarily manipulate encrypted content without knowing the
corresponding key/password. The only requirement is one single block of known
plaintext, which is fulfilled by design. By using exfiltration channels the
attacks allow the recovery of the entire plaintext or parts of it within an
encrypted document. The attacks rely only on standard compliant PDF features.
The attacks described have been validated for widely used PDF viewers proofing
many of them as vulnerable.
Workarounds in the various implementations may provide a short-term
countermeasure. Adequate countermeasures rather need to be included as part of
upcoming specifications. Therefore the issue has been escalated to the ISO
working group on Crypto and Signatures and will be taken up in the next
revision of the PDF Spec.
Disclosure is currently planned for the end of August 2019. Please restrain
from publishing any details before that date.
STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Open the attached 'exploit' pdfs in affected Okular version (e.g. v0.26.1).
The password for the encrypted pdf files is simply 'pass'.
OBSERVED RESULT
Upon decryption the condidential content is leaked.
SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
KDE Frameworks Version: 4.14.2
Qt Version: 4.8.2
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