CVE-2011-2420 in Shockwave Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Shockwave Player before 11.6.1.629 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/17/2021
Adobe Shockwave Player version 11.6.1.629 and earlier contains a memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions. This vulnerability exists due to insufficient input validation and memory management within the Shockwave Player runtime environment. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple attack paths may exist, potentially including malformed Shockwave content, malicious web pages embedding Shockwave objects, or compromised content delivery mechanisms. The memory corruption occurs when the player processes certain data structures that are not properly sanitized, leading to unpredictable behavior in the application's memory layout.
The technical flaw stems from improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation operations within the Shockwave Player's processing pipeline. When malicious input is encountered, the player's memory management routines fail to properly validate the integrity of allocated memory regions, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory contents or force heap corruption. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 vulnerability category, which encompasses out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because Shockwave Player was widely distributed and often executed automatically when users visited web pages containing Shockwave content, making exploitation relatively easy and widespread.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution to include potential system compromise and denial of service scenarios. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to systems running vulnerable versions of Shockwave Player, potentially escalating privileges or installing malware. The denial of service component could be used to disrupt legitimate services by crashing the Shockwave Player application or causing system instability. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers could potentially use the arbitrary code execution capability to deploy additional malicious payloads. The widespread adoption of Shockwave Player across various operating systems and browsers made this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors seeking broad exploitation capabilities.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to version 11.6.1.629 or later, which contains the necessary memory management fixes. Organizations should implement network segmentation and application whitelisting to prevent execution of Shockwave content in environments where it is not strictly required. Browser security configurations should be updated to disable Shockwave plugin execution or restrict it to trusted domains only. Additionally, security monitoring should include detection of suspicious Shockwave-related network traffic and process behavior. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date multimedia plugins and the risks associated with legacy software components that may not receive continued security support. Regular vulnerability assessments should include identification and remediation of outdated Shockwave installations, particularly in enterprise environments where legacy applications may still be in use.