CVE-2011-2124 in Shockwave Player
Summary
by MITRE
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-2011-2114, CVE-2011-2117, CVE-2011-2127, and CVE-2011-2128.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/19/2025
Adobe Shockwave Player version 11.6.0.626 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 other related issues in the same year, specifically excluding CVE-2011-2114, CVE-2011-2117, CVE-2011-2127, and CVE-2011-2128, which indicates the flaw operates through different exploitation mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory operations within the Shockwave Player runtime environment, where attackers can manipulate input data to trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions that lead to arbitrary code execution. This type of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions, both of which are common in multimedia player software due to the complex parsing of media files. The attack surface for this vulnerability is significant as Shockwave Player was widely distributed and used for multimedia content delivery across various platforms including web browsers and standalone applications. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially allow full system compromise, as memory corruption issues often provide attackers with opportunities to execute malicious code with the privileges of the affected application. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by crafting specially malformed Shockwave content that, when loaded by the vulnerable player, triggers the memory corruption condition. The exploitation process typically involves manipulating the player's parsing logic for Shockwave files, which may contain embedded multimedia elements, animations, or interactive components that are processed by the vulnerable runtime. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, as successful exploitation could lead to privilege elevation and remote code execution. The memory corruption aspect of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1070.004 for indicator removal on host, where attackers might attempt to cover their tracks after successful exploitation. Organizations using older versions of Shockwave Player should immediately implement mitigation strategies including disabling the plugin in web browsers, applying the vendor patch, and monitoring for suspicious network activity. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue places it within the broader category of heap-based buffer overflows, which are particularly dangerous in multimedia applications due to the large amounts of data processing involved. Security teams should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability, as the attack patterns may differ from other related vulnerabilities in the same advisory cycle.