CVE-2008-4546 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 9.0.277.0 and 10.x before 10.1.53.64, and Adobe AIR before 2.0.2.12610, allows remote web servers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and browser crash) by returning a different response when an HTTP request is sent a second time, as demonstrated by two responses that provide SWF files with different SWF version numbers.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2024
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 9.0.277.0 and 10.x versions before 10.1.53.64, along with Adobe AIR versions before 2.0.2.12610, contain a critical vulnerability that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through carefully crafted HTTP responses. This vulnerability stems from the player's inadequate handling of duplicate HTTP requests where the same resource is served with different SWF version numbers on subsequent requests. The flaw manifests as a NULL pointer dereference condition that occurs when the Flash Player processes these inconsistent responses, leading to immediate browser crashes and complete service unavailability for affected users.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the Flash Player's internal request handling and response parsing logic. When a web server responds to an HTTP request with an SWF file and that same request is made a second time with a different SWF version number, the player's memory management system fails to properly validate the incoming data structure. This results in the player attempting to dereference a NULL pointer within its SWF parsing routines, causing an immediate system crash. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-476 as a NULL pointer dereference, which represents a fundamental memory safety issue in the software's handling of dynamic data structures. The attack vector operates entirely through web-based HTTP communication, making it particularly dangerous as users can be compromised simply by visiting malicious websites or loading compromised web content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass significant security implications for enterprise environments and individual users. Organizations running affected versions of Flash Player or AIR applications face potential for widespread service outages when users encounter malicious web content, as the browser crashes can occur without user interaction beyond normal web browsing. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service and T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage, as attackers can leverage the crash conditions to disrupt legitimate services and potentially use the instability as a precursor to more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability affects a broad user base since Flash Player was widely deployed across various platforms and applications, making it an attractive target for attackers seeking to maximize impact.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected software versions to address the core memory handling flaws in the Flash Player and AIR runtime environments. Organizations should prioritize updating to Adobe Flash Player 9.0.277.0 or later, 10.1.53.64 or later, and Adobe AIR 2.0.2.12610 or later, as these releases contain the necessary code modifications to properly handle inconsistent HTTP responses. Network administrators should consider implementing web filtering measures to block known malicious SWF content and monitor for unusual HTTP request patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of visiting untrusted websites and the importance of keeping their Flash Player installations updated. The vulnerability also highlights the need for robust memory safety practices in runtime environments and demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in web-based multimedia applications.