CVE-2010-3646 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-2010-3645, 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
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 9.0.289.0 and 10.x before 10.1.102.64 on multiple operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris, as well as version 10.1.95.1 on Android, contained a memory corruption vulnerability that could be exploited to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions. This vulnerability represented a distinct threat vector from other related CVEs published in the same timeframe, indicating a separate code path or memory handling issue within the Flash Player runtime environment. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple potential exploitation techniques existed within the vulnerable codebase, making the vulnerability particularly concerning for security professionals tasked with assessing risk across different deployment scenarios.
The memory corruption aspect of this vulnerability aligns with common exploit patterns found in software security flaws, particularly those classified under CWE-125 as "Out-of-bounds Read" or CWE-787 as "Out-of-bounds Write" in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog. These types of vulnerabilities typically occur when applications fail to properly validate memory boundaries during operations such as buffer handling, string manipulation, or object allocation. The fact that this vulnerability affected multiple platforms demonstrates the cross-platform nature of the underlying memory management issue within Flash Player's runtime, suggesting that the flaw existed in core components shared across different operating system implementations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability created significant risk for organizations deploying Flash content across their networks, as exploitation could lead to complete system compromise through arbitrary code execution. The attack surface was particularly broad given Flash Player's widespread deployment across desktop and mobile platforms, making it an attractive target for attackers seeking to establish persistent access or disrupt services. The vulnerability's presence in Android versions further extended the risk to mobile environments where Flash Player was commonly used for rich media content delivery. Security analysts noted that the memory corruption nature of the flaw could potentially be leveraged through various attack vectors including crafted web content, malicious files, or social engineering techniques that would trigger the vulnerable code path within the Flash Player runtime.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability required immediate deployment of patched versions of Adobe Flash Player across all affected platforms. Organizations needed to implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all instances of the vulnerable software were updated, particularly given the cross-platform nature of the exploit. Security teams should have monitored for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability and implemented network-based detection measures to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques such as T1059.007 for command and script interpreter and T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution, indicating that exploitation would likely involve executing malicious code through the compromised Flash Player process. Organizations should have also considered implementing additional security controls including browser sandboxing, content filtering, and user access restrictions to limit potential impact from similar vulnerabilities in the future, while maintaining awareness of the broader threat landscape surrounding Flash Player security issues.