CVE-2011-2138 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.5 on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris and before 10.3.186.3 on Android, and Adobe AIR before 2.7.1 on Windows and Mac OS X and before 2.7.1.1961 on Android, allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-2136 and CVE-2011-2416.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/17/2021
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR suffered from an integer overflow vulnerability that could be exploited to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. This vulnerability existed in multiple product versions across different operating systems and platforms, with specific patch versions required for remediation. The flaw occurred in the handling of integer values during processing of Flash content, where insufficient bounds checking allowed malicious input to cause arithmetic overflow conditions. When an integer overflow occurs in memory allocation or buffer handling operations, it can lead to memory corruption that attackers can manipulate to overwrite critical memory locations and redirect program execution flow. The vulnerability was particularly dangerous because it affected multiple platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, and Android, with different patch versions required for each target environment. Attackers could leverage this weakness through specially crafted Flash content delivered via web browsers or other Flash Player hosts, making it a significant threat vector for remote code execution. The vulnerability was distinct from similar issues like CVE-2011-2136 and CVE-2011-2416, indicating separate code paths or implementation flaws in the Flash Player's memory management subsystem. This type of vulnerability maps to CWE-190 Integer Overflow or Wraparound, which is classified as a fundamental weakness in software design that allows attackers to manipulate integer arithmetic operations. From an operational security perspective, this vulnerability represented a critical risk for organizations using Flash Player, as it could be exploited through web browsing activities without requiring any user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The attack surface was extensive given Flash Player's widespread adoption across web browsers and applications, making this vulnerability particularly impactful for enterprise environments and individual users alike. The mitigation strategy required immediate deployment of patches for all affected versions, with security teams needing to prioritize systems running vulnerable Flash Player or AIR versions. Organizations should have implemented browser security controls and content filtering to prevent access to untrusted Flash content, while also monitoring for exploitation attempts through network security tools. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of proper input validation and integer arithmetic bounds checking in software development practices, particularly for applications handling untrusted data from web sources. Security professionals needed to conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments across their environments to identify systems running vulnerable versions, and implement automated patch management processes to ensure timely remediation. The exploitation of this vulnerability could result in complete system compromise, making it a high-priority target for both nation-state actors and criminal organizations seeking to leverage the widespread presence of Flash Player installations. This issue demonstrated the ongoing challenges in securing multimedia frameworks and the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches for widely deployed software components.