CVE-2002-0477 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Standalone Macromedia Flash Player 5.0 before 5,0,30,2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary programs via a .SWF file containing the "exec" FSCommand.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-0477 represents a critical security flaw in the standalone Macromedia Flash Player version 5.0 and earlier. This issue specifically affects the Flash Player's handling of the FSCommand function, which was designed to allow Flash content to communicate with the hosting environment. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the Flash Player's interpretation of SWF files, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The flaw exists in the player's implementation of the exec command within FSCommand, which was intended for legitimate system interactions but became exploitable due to inadequate security controls.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the Flash Player's improper handling of the exec FSCommand parameter. When a malicious SWF file containing this command is loaded, the Flash Player fails to properly validate or sanitize the input passed to the exec function, allowing attackers to inject and execute arbitrary system commands. This represents a classic command injection vulnerability that operates at the application layer, enabling remote code execution without requiring local system access. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the legitimate functionality of the Flash Player's FSCommand interface, making it more difficult to detect and prevent through traditional security measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple remote code execution to encompass potential system compromise and data breaches. Attackers could leverage this flaw to install malware, modify system files, access sensitive data, or establish persistent backdoors on affected systems. The vulnerability affects systems running the standalone Flash Player 5.0 version and earlier, which were widely deployed across corporate and personal computing environments during that era. This made the attack surface particularly large, as many users had the vulnerable Flash Player installed on their systems without proper patch management procedures in place. The vulnerability also demonstrates the risks associated with rich media applications that maintain direct system interaction capabilities, highlighting the importance of proper input validation and privilege separation in application design.
Organizations and users should immediately implement mitigation strategies including prompt patching of the Flash Player to version 5.0.30.2 or later, which addressed this specific vulnerability. System administrators should also consider implementing network-level controls to prevent access to potentially malicious SWF content and establish proper web filtering policies. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-77 and CWE-78 categories related to command injection flaws, and represents a technique that could be categorized under ATT&CK tactics such as execution and privilege escalation. Additionally, this vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date software across all systems and implementing robust security awareness training to prevent users from inadvertently executing malicious content. The incident serves as a historical example of how seemingly legitimate application features can become security risks when proper input validation and security controls are not implemented.