CVE-2011-0560 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 10.2.152.26 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-0559, CVE-2011-0561, CVE-2011-0571, CVE-2011-0572, CVE-2011-0573, CVE-2011-0574, CVE-2011-0578, CVE-2011-0607, and CVE-2011-0608.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2025
Adobe Flash Player version 10.2.152.26 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 related issues within the same year, indicating that attackers can exploit memory handling mechanisms within the Flash Player runtime environment to gain unauthorized system access or disrupt service availability. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple code paths within the Flash Player implementation may be susceptible to memory corruption exploits, potentially affecting various multimedia processing functions and runtime operations. Such vulnerabilities typically arise from insufficient input validation, improper memory management, or buffer overflow conditions that allow attackers to manipulate memory structures and execute malicious code with the privileges of the Flash Player process. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service as it can enable full system compromise when attackers successfully exploit the memory corruption flaw. This type of vulnerability aligns with common attack patterns documented in the attack tree framework where memory corruption issues represent high-value targets for adversaries seeking persistent access to compromised systems. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability demonstrates the inherent risks associated with rich media players and client-side runtime environments that execute untrusted code from web pages. The vulnerability's classification within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework would likely fall under weakness categories related to memory safety and buffer management, specifically CWE-121 for heap-based buffer overflow or CWE-122 for stack-based buffer overflow conditions. The attack surface for this vulnerability encompasses web browsers that utilize Adobe Flash Player as a plugin, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently visit untrusted websites or encounter malicious web content. Security researchers have identified that such memory corruption vulnerabilities often require specific exploitation conditions and may involve advanced techniques such as return-oriented programming or heap spraying to achieve reliable code execution. The vulnerability's presence in older Flash Player versions highlights the importance of timely patch management and the risks associated with running outdated software components that may contain known security flaws. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management strategies to address this and similar vulnerabilities, as the exploitation of such flaws can lead to complete system compromise. The affected versions of Flash Player were particularly concerning because they represented widely deployed runtime environments across numerous operating systems and web browsers, amplifying the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. This vulnerability underscores the critical need for continuous security monitoring and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across all software components that handle untrusted input from web-based sources. The attack patterns associated with this vulnerability align with the MITRE ATT&CK framework's techniques for code injection and privilege escalation, where adversaries leverage memory corruption flaws to execute malicious payloads with elevated privileges. Given the widespread use of Flash Player in web environments, this vulnerability created a significant risk for enterprises and individual users alike, particularly in scenarios where users accessed potentially malicious websites or encountered targeted attacks through compromised web content. The exploitation of this vulnerability required attackers to craft specific payloads that could trigger the memory corruption conditions, often involving complex manipulation of Flash Player's multimedia processing capabilities. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader threat landscape where client-side exploits represent common attack vectors for initial system compromise and persistent access to target environments. The remediation process for this vulnerability required users to update to Adobe Flash Player version 10.2.152.26 or later, which included memory safety improvements and code validation mechanisms to prevent the exploitation of memory corruption conditions. This vulnerability exemplifies the challenges associated with maintaining secure client-side applications and the importance of robust input validation and memory management practices in software development processes. Organizations that failed to patch this vulnerability remained at risk of exploitation by threat actors seeking to leverage the memory corruption flaw for unauthorized access to systems and data. The incident highlighted the critical role of security vendors and software publishers in providing timely security updates and the necessity for users to maintain vigilant patch management practices across their computing environments.