CVE-2010-2162 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 attackers to cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) or possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors related to improper length calculation and the (1) STSC, (2) STSZ, and (3) STCO atoms.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2021
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 critical heap memory corruption vulnerabilities that can lead to remote code execution or denial of service conditions. These vulnerabilities stem from improper length calculation within the handling of three specific atoms in the QuickTime movie file format: STSC (Sample Table Sample Count), STSZ (Sample Table Size), and STCO (Sample Table Chunk Offset). The flaw occurs when the application processes malformed media files that contain these atoms with incorrect or maliciously calculated lengths, causing the Flash Player or AIR runtime to allocate insufficient heap memory for processing the data structures. This improper memory allocation creates heap buffer overflows that can be exploited by attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution through controlled memory corruption. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through media content embedded in web pages or delivered via malicious files, making it a prime target for drive-by download attacks and remote exploitation scenarios. The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-122, Heap-based Buffer Overflow, and represents a classic memory corruption flaw that can be leveraged for privilege escalation and system compromise. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service as the heap corruption can be manipulated to redirect execution flow, potentially allowing attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the Flash Player process. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and memory management in multimedia processing libraries, as the attack surface includes not only the Flash Player itself but also any applications that rely on the underlying QuickTime parsing functionality. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected versions and implement network-based protections to prevent exploitation attempts through malicious media files.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires attackers to craft specially malformed QuickTime movie files containing the three affected atoms with manipulated length fields that trigger the heap corruption during parsing. The STSC atom controls sample count information, STSZ manages sample size data, and STCO handles chunk offset calculations, each representing different aspects of media file structure that when improperly calculated can cause memory allocation failures. Security researchers have identified that the vulnerability can be triggered through multiple attack vectors including web-based delivery, email attachments, and file sharing platforms where users might encounter malicious media content. The memory corruption affects the heap management system within the Flash Player runtime, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate program execution flow through controlled overwrite of return addresses, function pointers, or other critical memory structures. This vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK technique T1203, Exploitation for Client Execution, and demonstrates how multimedia processing components can serve as attack vectors for broader system compromise. The complexity of the vulnerability requires deep understanding of both the QuickTime file format specification and the Flash Player's internal memory management mechanisms, making it a sophisticated target for advanced persistent threats and zero-day exploitation campaigns.
Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management strategies to address this vulnerability across all affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR installations. The recommended mitigation includes immediate deployment of Adobe security updates, specifically Flash Player versions 9.0.277.0 and 10.1.53.64, and AIR versions 2.0.2.12610 or later. Network security controls should be enhanced to filter and block suspicious media file content, particularly those with malformed QuickTime structures. System administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict Flash Player execution to trusted environments only. The vulnerability highlights the need for robust input validation mechanisms in multimedia processing libraries and emphasizes the importance of regular security assessments of third-party components. Additional protective measures include monitoring for unusual memory allocation patterns and implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify exploitation attempts targeting heap-based vulnerabilities. Security teams should also consider disabling Flash Player in web browsers where possible and transitioning to modern web standards that do not rely on potentially vulnerable plugins. The incident underscores the critical relationship between multimedia content handling and system security, as these vulnerabilities can bypass traditional security controls when users interact with seemingly benign media files through web browsers or other applications that process multimedia content.