CVE-2002-1625 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Macromedia Flash Player 6 does not terminate connections when the user leaves the web page, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (bandwidth, resource, and CPU consumption) via the (1) loadMovie or (2) loadSound commands, which continue to execute until the browser is closed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-1625 represents a critical resource management flaw in Macromedia Flash Player 6 that enables persistent connection maintenance beyond user intent. This issue manifests when Flash content executes loadMovie or loadSound commands that continue operating even after users navigate away from the originating web page. The persistent execution creates a scenario where network connections remain active and consume system resources indefinitely, fundamentally undermining proper session cleanup mechanisms that should occur during page transitions. This behavior directly violates standard web security practices where resource cleanup should occur automatically when users abandon web sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the Flash Player's failure to properly monitor browser context changes and associated connection lifecycle management. When users leave a page containing Flash content, the player should automatically terminate active connections and release associated resources including network bandwidth, memory allocation, and processing cycles. However, the flawed implementation allows these connections to persist, creating a resource leak that can be exploited by remote attackers to consume system resources. The vulnerability specifically affects the loadMovie and loadSound API commands, which are commonly used for multimedia content delivery and dynamic content loading within Flash applications.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables attackers to perform denial of service attacks by consuming excessive bandwidth, CPU cycles, and memory resources on target systems. The continued execution of Flash connections can lead to significant performance degradation, system instability, and potential service interruption for legitimate users. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by crafting malicious Flash content that loads multimedia resources and then navigate away from the page, leaving the connections active and consuming resources. This type of attack directly impacts the availability of network resources and can be particularly effective in environments where bandwidth is limited or where multiple users access the same system resources.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" and represents a classic example of resource leak exploitation in web applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, which covers "Resource Hijacking: Cloud Compute," though in this case the hijacking occurs at the local system level rather than cloud resources. The attack pattern demonstrates how client-side vulnerabilities can be weaponized to consume system resources and create denial of service conditions. The persistent connection behavior also relates to T1566, "Phishing," as attackers may craft malicious Flash content that appears legitimate while consuming resources in the background.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of Flash Player 6 installations and implementation of proper resource monitoring on web servers. Organizations should consider disabling Flash content execution in web browsers where possible, implementing network-level rate limiting to prevent excessive resource consumption, and establishing automated monitoring systems to detect abnormal resource usage patterns. Browser vendors should also implement stricter resource management policies that automatically terminate inactive connections and prevent continued execution of abandoned web content. Additionally, web developers should be educated about proper Flash resource management practices and the importance of implementing proper cleanup routines when working with loadMovie and loadSound commands. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper resource lifecycle management in client-side applications and highlights the need for comprehensive testing of resource cleanup behaviors during page transitions and user navigation events.