CVE-2010-3652 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-2010-3646, CVE-2010-3647, CVE-2010-3648, CVE-2010-3649, and CVE-2010-3650.
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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 critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability represented a distinct threat vector from previously identified flaws in the same vulnerability series, indicating a separate code path or memory handling mechanism that could be exploited by malicious actors. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that the memory corruption could be triggered through various means within the Flash Player runtime environment, potentially through malformed multimedia content or crafted web pages that leveraged the player's handling of specific data structures or memory allocations. The vulnerability's impact extended across multiple platforms and operating systems, making it particularly dangerous as attackers could target users across different computing environments without requiring platform-specific exploitation techniques.
The technical nature of this memory corruption vulnerability aligns with common software security weaknesses such as those categorized under CWE-119, which deals with "Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer," and CWE-787, which addresses "Out-of-bounds Write." These classifications indicate that the vulnerability likely involved improper bounds checking or memory management within Flash Player's processing of multimedia content or script execution contexts. The attack surface was broad due to Flash Player's widespread deployment and its role in handling rich media content across web browsers and desktop applications. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability created a significant risk for organizations as Flash Player was commonly installed on user systems and frequently encountered through web browsing activities. The potential for remote code execution meant that attackers could gain full system control, while denial of service capabilities allowed for disruption of services and user productivity. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions across different platforms also indicated that the underlying memory handling issue was likely present in core components of the Flash Player architecture rather than being isolated to specific platform implementations.
Security professionals and system administrators faced a critical challenge in addressing this vulnerability due to its broad impact across multiple platforms and the difficulty in predicting all possible exploitation vectors. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would likely map to techniques involving privilege escalation and remote code execution through software exploitation, specifically targeting the execution of malicious code within the context of the Flash Player process. Mitigation strategies focused on immediate patching of affected versions, as well as implementing network-based controls such as content filtering and web application firewalls to prevent access to potentially malicious Flash content. Organizations needed to consider the broader implications of Flash Player's removal or disabling, as many web applications relied heavily on Flash-based interfaces and multimedia content. The vulnerability highlighted the ongoing security challenges associated with rich media players and their complex codebases, which often contain numerous attack vectors due to their extensive functionality and integration with web browsers and operating system components. Security monitoring and incident response procedures needed to be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts, while user education campaigns were essential to raise awareness about the risks associated with running outdated Flash Player versions. The vulnerability also underscored the importance of regular security assessments and patch management processes, as the widespread deployment of Flash Player made it a prime target for exploitation by threat actors seeking to leverage its ubiquity for maximum impact.