CVE-2010-3645 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-2010-3641, CVE-2010-3642, CVE-2010-3643, CVE-2010-3644, 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 resides within Adobe Flash Player's runtime environment and represents a critical memory corruption issue that affects multiple operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, and Android platforms. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability vectors makes it particularly dangerous as attackers can exploit various pathways to achieve code execution or denial of service conditions without clear indicators of the specific attack surface. The vulnerability impacts both legacy Flash Player versions 9.0.289.0 and earlier, as well as 10.x versions prior to 10.1.102.64, with Android versions affected up to 10.1.95.1. This particular flaw operates independently from several other related vulnerabilities in the same timeframe, indicating a distinct code path or memory handling mechanism that was not addressed by the patches for the previously mentioned CVE identifiers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves memory corruption that occurs during Flash Player's processing of malicious content, likely through improper memory management or buffer overflow conditions. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting specially designed Flash content that, when executed in a vulnerable Flash Player environment, triggers memory corruption leading to arbitrary code execution or system instability. The memory corruption aspect places this vulnerability in the CWE-119 category, which encompasses weaknesses related to the improper handling of memory resources including buffer overflows, underflows, and other memory access violations. The exploitation mechanism typically involves manipulating the Flash Player's ActionScript interpreter or native code execution paths to overwrite memory locations that control program flow or data integrity.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to enterprise environments where Flash Player remains active, as it allows for remote code execution without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious webpage or opening a compromised Flash file. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability means that organizations cannot simply patch one operating system to address the issue, requiring comprehensive patch management across all supported platforms. Network security teams must consider this vulnerability as a high-priority threat due to its potential for privilege escalation and system compromise, particularly in environments where Flash content is frequently accessed through web browsers or embedded applications. The denial of service component adds another layer of risk as attackers can also cause system instability or complete application crashes, potentially leading to availability issues that affect business operations.
Organizations should implement immediate patching strategies targeting the specific version ranges mentioned in the vulnerability description, ensuring that all supported platforms receive updates to Adobe Flash Player versions 9.0.289.0 and 10.1.102.64 or later. The mitigation approach should include network-based protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious Flash content, along with endpoint protection measures that monitor for suspicious Flash Player behavior. Security teams should also consider implementing browser sandboxing technologies and restricting Flash Player execution in web browsers to minimize the attack surface. According to ATT&CK framework methodology, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving code injection and privilege escalation through memory corruption, requiring defensive measures that address both the exploitation vector and potential post-exploitation activities. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution threat aligns with ATT&CK tactic T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation), making comprehensive network monitoring and endpoint detection crucial for effective defense. Given the nature of memory corruption vulnerabilities, organizations should also conduct regular security assessments to identify any lingering vulnerable installations and implement proper patch validation procedures to ensure complete remediation across all affected systems.