CVE-2010-2871 in Shockwave Player
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in the 3D object functionality in Adobe Shockwave Player before 11.5.8.612 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) or execute arbitrary code via a crafted size value in a 0xFFFFFF45 RIFF record in a Director movie.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/25/2025
Adobe Shockwave Player versions prior to 11.5.8.612 contained a critical integer overflow vulnerability within its 3D object handling functionality that could be exploited by remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution or denial of service conditions. This vulnerability specifically affected the processing of RIFF records within Director movies, particularly when encountering a crafted 0xFFFFFF45 RIFF record that contained an oversized size value. The integer overflow occurred during the parsing of 3D object data structures, where the application failed to properly validate the size parameter before allocating heap memory for the object representation. When the malicious size value exceeded the maximum representable integer value, the subsequent memory allocation would result in corrupted heap structures that could be manipulated by attackers to overwrite critical memory locations. This flaw falls under the CWE-190 category of Integer Overflow or Wraparound, which represents a fundamental weakness in input validation where applications fail to properly handle numeric boundaries. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to full system compromise, as the heap corruption could be leveraged to overwrite function pointers or return addresses, allowing for code injection attacks. Attackers could craft malicious Director movies containing the specially crafted RIFF records that would trigger the overflow when the Shockwave Player attempted to render 3D objects, making this a particularly dangerous vulnerability given Shockwave Player's widespread deployment in enterprise environments. The vulnerability was particularly concerning because it required no user interaction beyond viewing the malicious content, making it a prime candidate for drive-by download attacks. The integer overflow occurred in the memory management subsystem where the application attempted to allocate heap memory based on an unvalidated size parameter, creating a classic buffer overflow scenario that could be exploited to redirect program execution flow. This vulnerability highlighted the importance of robust input validation and proper integer handling in multimedia processing components, as the flaw existed in the core parsing logic that handled 3D object rendering within Shockwave Player's architecture. Security researchers noted that the vulnerability could be particularly difficult to detect and exploit due to the complex nature of 3D object rendering and the multiple memory allocation points that could be affected by the overflow condition. The remediation required updating Shockwave Player to version 11.5.8.612 or later, which included proper bounds checking and integer validation in the RIFF record processing logic, effectively closing the memory corruption pathway that attackers could exploit to gain unauthorized system access. Organizations were advised to implement immediate patch management procedures to address this vulnerability, as the potential for remote code execution made it a high-priority security concern. The vulnerability also demonstrated how multimedia processing components could serve as attack vectors for privilege escalation, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute code with the privileges of the Shockwave Player process, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This particular flaw underscored the necessity of thorough input validation in all multimedia parsing components and highlighted the importance of applying security patches promptly to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities in widely deployed software applications. The integer overflow vulnerability in Shockwave Player's 3D object handling functionality represents a significant security risk that required immediate attention from system administrators and security teams across all affected organizations.