CVE-2010-0187 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 10.0.45.2 and Adobe AIR before 1.5.3.9130 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a modified SWF file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/30/2026
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 10.0.45.2 and Adobe AIR versions before 1.5.3.9130 contain a vulnerability that enables remote attackers to trigger application crashes through manipulation of SWF file content. This vulnerability falls under the category of denial of service attacks where malicious actors can exploit improper input validation mechanisms within the Flash Player runtime environment. The flaw specifically manifests when the application processes modified SWF files that contain malformed or unexpected data structures, leading to memory corruption and subsequent application termination. The vulnerability represents a classic buffer over-read condition where the Flash Player fails to properly validate the boundaries of data structures within SWF files, allowing attackers to craft malicious content that causes the application to access memory locations beyond allocated buffers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input sanitization within the SWF file parser component of Adobe's Flash runtime. When processing SWF files, the player's decoder does not adequately validate the structure and content of various data elements, particularly within the file's header and embedded object definitions. This weakness creates opportunities for attackers to craft SWF files with deliberately malformed data sequences that cause the Flash Player to execute unintended code paths leading to stack corruption or heap overflow conditions. The vulnerability can be exploited through web browsers that have Flash Player enabled, as well as through standalone AIR applications that process SWF content. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read, which specifically addresses situations where programs access memory locations beyond the boundaries of allocated buffers. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website or opening a crafted file, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be leveraged as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks within the broader threat landscape. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques categorized under T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service, where adversaries target application stability to achieve their objectives. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform persistent disruption of services, potentially affecting user productivity and system availability across organizations that rely on Flash-based content. Organizations running affected versions of Flash Player or AIR applications face significant risk of unauthorized service interruption, particularly in environments where Flash content is frequently accessed through web browsers or corporate applications. The vulnerability also demonstrates the broader challenge of maintaining secure runtime environments for legacy technologies, as Flash Player has been identified as a common attack surface for various exploit chains due to its widespread deployment and complex architecture.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate remediation through software updates to the latest available versions of Flash Player and AIR runtime environments. Organizations must implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all systems running Flash content are updated with the security fixes released by Adobe. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing content filtering measures to block or quarantine SWF files from untrusted sources, particularly in environments where Flash content is not essential for business operations. The implementation of sandboxing techniques and browser security policies can further reduce the attack surface by limiting the privileges available to Flash Player processes. Regular security assessments should include verification of Flash Player versions across all endpoints, with particular attention to legacy systems that may continue to require Flash content for business-critical applications. Organizations should also maintain detailed inventory records of Flash Player installations and establish monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts through unusual application crash patterns or network traffic anomalies.