CVE-2011-0624 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.181.14 on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris and before 10.3.185.21 on Android allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, related to a "bounds checking" issue, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-0623, CVE-2011-0625, and CVE-2011-0626.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2021
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 10.3.181.14 on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris operating systems, and before 10.3.185.21 on Android platforms contained a critical bounds checking vulnerability that enabled remote code execution attacks. This vulnerability specifically manifested in the player's handling of memory boundaries during object manipulation and data processing operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to bypass security controls and execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The flaw represented a distinct security weakness separate from other contemporaneous vulnerabilities including CVE-2011-0623, CVE-2011-0625, and CVE-2011-0626, each addressing different aspects of the Flash Player's security architecture. The bounds checking issue occurred when the Flash Player processed malformed or specially crafted content that manipulated memory allocation and access patterns beyond intended boundaries. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-129 weakness category, which encompasses issues related to improper handling of input validation and memory boundary checks. The vulnerability could be exploited through various attack vectors including malicious web pages, infected email attachments, or compromised websites that loaded Flash content. Attackers could leverage this weakness to inject malicious code into the memory space of the Flash Player process, potentially gaining full system control and executing commands with the privileges of the user running the vulnerable software. The impact of this vulnerability extended across multiple operating systems and device platforms, making it particularly dangerous as it affected a wide range of users and environments. This particular weakness aligned with the ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which involves the use of scripting languages for execution, as attackers could utilize Flash-based exploits to deliver malicious payloads through JavaScript or ActionScript code. The vulnerability's exploitation required minimal user interaction, often succeeding through simple web browsing activities, making it particularly insidious for end users. Organizations and individuals running affected versions of Adobe Flash Player faced significant risk of compromise, as the vulnerability could be exploited without requiring any special privileges or complex attack scenarios. The bounds checking flaw specifically targeted the player's memory management subsystem, where improper validation of array indices and buffer limits allowed attackers to overwrite memory locations and redirect program execution flow. This type of memory corruption vulnerability represents a classic exploit pattern that has been widely documented in cybersecurity literature and commonly addressed through memory safety mechanisms and runtime protections. The vulnerability's severity was compounded by the widespread adoption of Flash Player across enterprise and consumer environments, creating a large attack surface that malicious actors could target with minimal effort. Security researchers identified that the flaw occurred during the processing of multimedia content where Flash Player's ActionScript interpreter failed to properly validate memory access boundaries when handling complex data structures and object references. The exploitation process typically involved crafting malicious Flash content that would trigger the bounds checking failure, causing the player to execute unintended code sequences. This vulnerability demonstrated the ongoing challenges in securing multimedia frameworks and web plugins that handle complex data processing operations. The remediation required immediate patching of Adobe Flash Player installations across all supported platforms, with the vendor releasing updated versions that included enhanced bounds checking mechanisms and improved memory validation routines. Organizations needed to implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all affected systems were updated promptly, as the vulnerability remained exploitable until the official security patches were applied. The incident highlighted the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and the risks associated with running deprecated or unsupported software versions in enterprise environments. This vulnerability also underscored the need for robust input validation and memory safety practices in software development, particularly for applications that process untrusted data from external sources. The security community recognized this flaw as a significant concern due to its potential for remote code execution and the ease with which it could be exploited in real-world scenarios. The vulnerability's impact extended beyond individual users to enterprise networks, where a single compromised system could potentially serve as a foothold for broader network infiltration attempts. The technical nature of the bounds checking issue required careful attention to memory management practices and proper validation of all input data before processing. Organizations implementing security controls needed to consider the broader implications of this vulnerability within their overall security posture, particularly in environments where Flash Player remained in active use. The resolution of this vulnerability required not only updating the Flash Player software but also implementing additional security measures such as content filtering and web application firewalls to provide defense-in-depth protection against similar future threats. This case study demonstrated the importance of continuous security monitoring and the necessity of maintaining awareness of emerging threats in widely deployed software applications.