CVE-2011-2422 in Shockwave Player
Summary
by MITRE
Textra.x32 in 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.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/17/2021
Adobe Shockwave Player version 11.6.1.629 and earlier contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability in the Textra.x32 component that enables remote code execution or denial of service attacks. This vulnerability resides within the Shockwave Player's handling of multimedia content and represents a classic heap-based buffer overflow condition that can be triggered through maliciously crafted Shockwave files. The flaw exists in the player's parsing logic for specific multimedia elements, allowing attackers to manipulate memory structures through carefully constructed input data that exceeds allocated buffer boundaries. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, where insufficient bounds checking permits attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations and potentially execute arbitrary code. The attack vector typically involves delivery of malicious Shockwave content through web browsers or email attachments, leveraging the Shockwave Player's automatic execution capabilities when users view infected content. This vulnerability impacts a broad range of systems since Shockwave Player was widely distributed and enabled by default in many web browsers, creating an extensive attack surface that could be exploited across various operating systems including windows xp through windows 7. The memory corruption aspect of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script interpreter, as successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise through code execution. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require local system access to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may inadvertently encounter malicious content. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service to include complete system compromise, as memory corruption vulnerabilities of this nature can often be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution. Organizations using older versions of Shockwave Player should immediately implement mitigation strategies including disabling Shockwave support in browsers, applying the vendor-provided security patch, or removing the player entirely from systems. The vulnerability highlights the importance of keeping multimedia plugins updated and demonstrates how legacy software components can remain persistent attack vectors even after initial deployment. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability through network traffic analysis and endpoint detection systems that can identify malicious Shockwave content. The flaw underscores the critical need for application sandboxing and privilege separation in multimedia processing components, as demonstrated by the ATT&CK framework's emphasis on process injection techniques that can result from such memory corruption vulnerabilities. This vulnerability represents a classic example of how multimedia processing components in web browsers can serve as attack vectors for sophisticated exploitation campaigns targeting enterprise environments. The security implications extend to various attack surface areas including browser-based exploitation, email-based delivery mechanisms, and web server content delivery methods that could be leveraged by threat actors. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected versions of Shockwave Player and ensure immediate remediation through patch management processes. The vulnerability's exploitation requires no special privileges or user interaction beyond viewing malicious content, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users may encounter untrusted Shockwave content. Proper security monitoring should include detection of unusual memory access patterns and potential exploitation attempts that could indicate successful exploitation of this heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability.