CVE-2010-2169 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, allow attackers to cause a denial of service (pointer memory corruption) or possibly execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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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, contained a critical vulnerability that enabled attackers to manipulate memory pointers through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption flaws that can lead to either denial of service conditions or arbitrary code execution within the affected applications. The technical nature of this flaw suggests improper handling of memory references during Flash Player or AIR runtime operations, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate pointer values in ways that could corrupt memory structures. Such memory corruption vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous as they can provide attackers with the capability to execute malicious code on vulnerable systems, as the corrupted memory pointers could be leveraged to redirect program execution flow. The vulnerability exists in the core runtime handling mechanisms of these Adobe applications, where insufficient validation or improper memory management during object instantiation or manipulation processes creates opportunities for exploitation. This type of vulnerability is commonly classified as a memory safety issue and aligns with CWE-125, which represents out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service as it can potentially allow remote code execution, making it a critical concern for enterprise environments where Flash Player and AIR applications are commonly deployed. Attackers could exploit this flaw by crafting specially designed Flash content or AIR applications that trigger the memory corruption during normal runtime operations, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability's presence in both Flash Player and AIR platforms indicates a fundamental issue within Adobe's runtime environment that affects multiple application delivery mechanisms, making the exploitation surface wider and more impactful. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and application whitelisting as temporary mitigations while deploying official patches. The flaw demonstrates the inherent risks associated with complex multimedia runtime environments and highlights the importance of proper memory management practices in software development. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 which involves executing malicious code through legitimate system processes, as the exploitation could leverage the Flash Player or AIR runtime to execute attacker-controlled code. Security professionals should prioritize patching these vulnerable versions as they represent significant attack vectors that could be exploited in targeted campaigns. The memory corruption nature of this vulnerability also indicates potential for privilege escalation scenarios, particularly when Flash Player or AIR applications are executed with elevated privileges. Organizations implementing security controls should monitor for suspicious Flash content and ensure that all Adobe applications remain updated to prevent exploitation of this memory safety vulnerability. The widespread deployment of Flash Player across enterprise environments made this vulnerability particularly concerning for cybersecurity professionals responsible for protecting organizational networks.