CVE-2010-4191 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 unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-0555, CVE-2010-4093, CVE-2010-4187, CVE-2010-4190, 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 memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution or denial of service attacks through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability represents a distinct security flaw from several other known vulnerabilities within the same product line, indicating a complex attack surface that requires careful analysis and mitigation. The memory corruption issue stems from improper handling of data structures during Shockwave content processing, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate memory layout and execute malicious code remotely.
The technical flaw manifests in how the Shockwave Player handles certain multimedia content and data parsing operations, creating opportunities for heap-based buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting specially designed Shockwave content that, when loaded by an affected player version, triggers the memory corruption. This vulnerability operates at a low level within the application's memory management system, making it particularly dangerous as it can bypass standard security controls and potentially lead to complete system compromise. The vulnerability's classification aligns with common weakness enumerations such as CWE-125 for out-of-bounds read conditions and CWE-787 for out-of-bounds write conditions, which are typical characteristics of memory corruption flaws.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as successful exploitation could result in arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected user. This creates a significant risk for enterprise environments where Shockwave Player is widely deployed, as attackers could potentially establish persistent backdoors, escalate privileges, or access sensitive data. The vulnerability's potential for remote code execution places it within the ATT&CK framework's execution techniques, specifically targeting the 'Command and Scripting Interpreter' and 'Exploitation for Client Execution' domains. Organizations using older Shockwave Player versions face substantial risk exposure, particularly in environments where users frequently encounter web content that may contain malicious Shockwave files.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to the latest Shockwave Player version, which includes the necessary security fixes to address the memory corruption vulnerability. System administrators should also implement network-level controls to block Shockwave content where possible, as this reduces the attack surface for exploitation attempts. Additional protective measures include user education about the risks of executing unknown Shockwave content, implementation of application whitelisting policies, and monitoring for suspicious network activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems capable of identifying patterns associated with this specific vulnerability, given its distinct nature compared to other known Shockwave vulnerabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date multimedia plugins and the risks associated with legacy software components that may not receive ongoing security support.