CVE-2010-4187 in Shockwave Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Shockwave Player before 11.5.9.620 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a malformed chunk in a Director file, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-0555, CVE-2010-4093, CVE-2010-4190, CVE-2010-4191, CVE-2010-4192, and CVE-2010-4306.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2021
Adobe Shockwave Player version 11.5.9.620 and earlier contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution through malformed chunk data within Director files. This vulnerability specifically affects the parsing mechanism of Shockwave Player when processing specially crafted multimedia content that utilizes the Director file format. The flaw occurs during the interpretation of malformed chunks within these files, where the player fails to properly validate input data before processing, leading to unpredictable memory behavior and potential code execution. The vulnerability is distinct from several other related issues including CVE-2011-0555 and CVE-2010-4093, which indicates this represents a unique code path within the Shockwave Player's processing engine. The memory corruption aspect of this vulnerability can manifest in various ways including heap corruption, stack overflow conditions, or pointer dereference errors that may result in arbitrary code execution or complete denial of service. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read, which encompasses memory access violations that can lead to code execution, and CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow, which represents the specific memory corruption mechanism. The attack vector requires an unsuspecting user to open a malicious Director file through Shockwave Player, which would typically occur through social engineering tactics such as phishing emails or compromised websites. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries leverage application vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on target systems. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple exploitation as it represents a persistent threat vector given Shockwave Player's widespread deployment across enterprise environments and the prevalence of Director files in legacy web content. Organizations running affected versions of Shockwave Player face significant risk of compromise through targeted attacks that exploit this memory corruption vulnerability. The vulnerability's exploitation potential is heightened by the fact that Shockwave Player is commonly enabled in web browsers and often automatically processes multimedia content without user intervention, creating a high-risk environment for successful exploitation. This particular vulnerability demonstrates the complexity of multimedia player security where malformed file structures can lead to memory corruption, and the associated risk is compounded by the difficulty in patching legacy Shockwave Player installations in enterprise environments.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves the Shockwave Player's Director file parser failing to properly validate chunk headers and data structures within the file format. When a malformed chunk is encountered, the parser's memory management routines become corrupted, potentially allowing an attacker to overwrite critical memory locations or redirect execution flow. The vulnerability's distinct nature from other CVEs in the same family indicates that it operates through a different code path within the Shockwave Player's processing pipeline, suggesting multiple potential entry points for exploitation. This particular variant of the vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the core file parsing layer where input validation should be most rigorous, and the resulting memory corruption can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the Shockwave Player. The memory corruption patterns typically manifest as buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions that can be exploited through carefully crafted malicious content, making this a prime target for advanced persistent threat actors seeking to establish persistent access to compromised systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of Shockwave Player installations to version 11.5.9.620 or later, as this represents the first version that addresses the memory corruption issue. Organizations should implement network-level controls to block or filter Director file types (.dir, .dcr) from entering the corporate network, particularly when these files originate from untrusted sources or external domains. Browser security configurations should be adjusted to disable Shockwave Player plugin execution entirely unless absolutely required for business operations, and this should be complemented by regular security scanning to identify any remaining installations of vulnerable versions. System administrators should monitor for any attempts to execute Shockwave Player content from suspicious sources and implement application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of Shockwave Player to known good software repositories. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue means that traditional antivirus solutions may not detect exploitation attempts, making behavioral monitoring and network-based detection critical components of defense. Security teams should also consider implementing endpoint detection and response solutions that can identify anomalous memory access patterns or process behavior that may indicate exploitation attempts. Given the nature of this vulnerability and its potential for remote code execution, organizations should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running vulnerable Shockwave Player versions and establish a remediation timeline that accounts for the complexity of updating legacy multimedia player installations in enterprise environments. The ATT&CK framework's T1068: Exploitation for Privilege Escalation should be considered as a potential follow-on technique if exploitation succeeds, as attackers may attempt to elevate privileges once initial access is achieved through this vulnerability.