CVE-2010-3641 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 9.0.289.0 and 10.x before 10.1.102.64 on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris, and 10.1.95.1 on Android, allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unknown vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2010-3640, CVE-2010-3642, CVE-2010-3643, CVE-2010-3644, CVE-2010-3645, CVE-2010-3646, CVE-2010-3647, CVE-2010-3648, CVE-2010-3649, CVE-2010-3650, and CVE-2010-3652.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/28/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption issue within Adobe Flash Player that affects multiple operating systems and platforms. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors makes this particularly dangerous as it could potentially be exploited through various means including malformed content in web pages, embedded media files, or specially crafted Flash objects. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 9.0.289.0 for Flash Player 9 and 10.x versions before 10.1.102.64 for Flash Player 10, as well as the specific Android version 10.1.95.1, indicating a widespread impact across the Flash Player ecosystem.
The technical flaw manifests as memory corruption that can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems or cause denial of service conditions. Memory corruption vulnerabilities typically occur when applications fail to properly validate input data or manage memory allocation, leading to buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory management errors. These issues are particularly severe in runtime environments like Flash Player where complex multimedia content is processed and executed in memory. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue aligns with common attack patterns documented in the attack tree model, where such flaws represent high-value targets for exploit development due to their potential for privilege escalation and system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, and Android, making it a significant concern for enterprise environments and individual users alike. Organizations running web applications that utilize Flash content face substantial risk as attackers can leverage this vulnerability through standard web browsing activities, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability's presence in both desktop and mobile platforms demonstrates the widespread nature of Flash Player's deployment and the corresponding attack surface that needed protection. This aligns with the attack pattern taxonomy where vulnerabilities affecting core runtime environments are considered high severity due to their potential for widespread exploitation.
Security professionals should prioritize patching affected systems immediately, as the unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple exploitation techniques may be possible. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue places it within the CWE-119 category of "Improper Access to Memory" which encompasses various memory safety issues that can lead to arbitrary code execution. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider disabling Flash Player in browsers where possible. The mitigation strategy should align with the MITRE ATT&CK framework's approach to defending against memory corruption attacks, focusing on application whitelisting, sandboxing, and network segmentation to limit potential damage from successful exploitation attempts.