CVE-2011-0320 in Shockwave Player
Summary
by MITRE
Dirapi.dll in Adobe Shockwave Player before 11.6.0.626 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-0317, CVE-2011-0318, CVE-2011-0319, CVE-2011-0335, CVE-2011-2119, and CVE-2011-2122.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-0320 affects the Dirapi.dll component within Adobe Shockwave Player versions prior to 11.6.0.626, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote code execution and denial of service conditions through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability operates independently from several other related issues within the same timeframe, specifically excluding CVE-2011-0317, CVE-2011-0318, CVE-2011-0319, CVE-2011-0335, CVE-2011-2119, and CVE-2011-2122, which indicates a distinct code path or memory handling mechanism within the affected software component. The Dirapi.dll module serves as a critical interface for Shockwave Player's directory and API functionality, making it a prime target for exploitation due to its privileged access to system resources and memory management functions. This particular flaw manifests as a memory corruption issue that can be triggered through malformed input or maliciously crafted content within Shockwave files, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate memory addresses and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue aligns with common CWE categories such as CWE-121, which deals with stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, addressing heap-based buffer overflow scenarios. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to enterprise environments where Shockwave Player remains installed, as it can be exploited through web-based attacks or malicious Shockwave content delivered via email attachments, compromised websites, or peer-to-peer networks. The attack surface expands when considering that Shockwave Player was widely distributed and supported across multiple operating systems, including various versions of windows, making the exploitation potential substantial. The denial of service aspect of this vulnerability can result in application crashes, system instability, or complete system hangs, while the remote code execution capability allows attackers to establish persistent access, escalate privileges, or deploy additional malware payloads. Organizations utilizing Shockwave Player should consider immediate remediation through patching to version 11.6.0.626 or higher, as this represents the first version that addresses the memory corruption issues present in earlier releases. Additionally, network segmentation and application whitelisting policies can provide temporary mitigation while full patch deployment occurs, particularly focusing on preventing execution of untrusted Shockwave content. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, reflecting the potential for attackers to leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized system access and execute malicious commands within the target environment. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis, endpoint detection systems, and application logs that may indicate attempts to access vulnerable Shockwave Player components. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date software across all systems, particularly legacy applications that may continue to operate in enterprise environments despite their end-of-life status. This particular issue demonstrates the ongoing security challenges associated with multimedia plugins and their complex memory management requirements, which often present unique attack surfaces that require specialized security controls and monitoring approaches. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of Shockwave Player across their networks and ensure complete remediation through official patches provided by Adobe, as unpatched systems remain at significant risk of exploitation by threat actors targeting these known vulnerabilities.