CVE-2010-2878 in Shockwave Player
Summary
by MITRE
DIRAPIX.dll in Adobe Shockwave Player before 11.5.8.612 does not properly validate a value associated with a buffer seek for a Director movie, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) or execute arbitrary code via a crafted movie.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2021
Adobe Shockwave Player contains a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in the DIRAPIX.dll component that affects versions prior to 11.5.8.612. This vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of buffer seek parameters within Director movie files, creating a condition where maliciously crafted movie content can manipulate memory operations. The flaw occurs when the player processes director movie files that contain specially constructed buffer seek values, leading to improper memory management during movie execution. Attackers can exploit this weakness by delivering a malicious Shockwave movie file that triggers heap memory corruption when the affected player attempts to process the crafted buffer seek operations. The vulnerability manifests as either remote code execution or denial of service conditions, depending on the specific exploitation scenario and target system configuration. This issue represents a classic heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability that aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The attack vector requires remote code execution through web-based delivery, making it particularly dangerous in browser environments where Shockwave content is commonly encountered. The vulnerability affects systems running Adobe Shockwave Player versions 11.5.8.611 and earlier, with the patch released in version 11.5.8.612 addressing the improper buffer validation. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability can be exploited through social engineering techniques where users are tricked into viewing malicious Shockwave content, or through drive-by download attacks that automatically execute the malicious code within the context of the Shockwave player. The exploitation process typically involves crafting a Director movie file with malicious buffer seek parameters that cause the player to write beyond allocated memory boundaries. This vulnerability is particularly concerning because Shockwave Player was widely distributed and used across multiple platforms, amplifying its potential impact. The security implications extend beyond simple memory corruption as the vulnerability can be leveraged for privilege escalation attacks in certain scenarios. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and web application firewalls to prevent exploitation attempts, while also ensuring all Shockwave Player installations are updated to the patched versions. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management in multimedia player components, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1203 which involves the exploitation of software vulnerabilities to gain code execution capabilities. This particular vulnerability represents a significant risk to enterprise environments where legacy Shockwave content may still be in use, requiring immediate remediation efforts to prevent potential compromise of user systems and network infrastructure.