CVE-2011-2453 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.11 and 11.x before 11.1.102.55 on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris and before 11.1.102.59 on Android, and Adobe AIR before 3.1.0.4880, allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-2445, CVE-2011-2451, CVE-2011-2452, CVE-2011-2454, CVE-2011-2455, CVE-2011-2459, and CVE-2011-2460.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/26/2021
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 10.3.183.11 and 11.x before 11.1.102.55 across multiple operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris, as well as Adobe AIR before version 3.1.0.4880, contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution or denial of service attacks. This vulnerability represented a distinct security flaw from other related issues in the same timeframe, specifically excluding CVE-2011-2445, CVE-2011-2451, CVE-2011-2452, CVE-2011-2454, CVE-2011-2455, CVE-2011-2459, and CVE-2011-2460, indicating it was not a variant of previously discovered memory corruption patterns. The vulnerability stemmed from improper memory management within the Flash Player runtime environment, where attackers could manipulate memory structures through crafted malicious content delivered via web browsers or applications that utilized Flash technology. The memory corruption occurred during the processing of specific multimedia content or interactive elements, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the Flash Player process. This flaw was particularly dangerous because it could be exploited through web browsers without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website, making it a prime target for drive-by download attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations, both of which are common in memory corruption flaws within multimedia processing frameworks. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability created significant risk for organizations using legacy Flash Player versions, as it provided attackers with a reliable method for gaining unauthorized access to systems. The impact extended beyond individual user devices to enterprise networks, since many organizations still relied on Flash-based applications for business-critical processes. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to execute malicious payloads, install backdoors, or perform privilege escalation attacks, while the denial of service component could be used to disrupt legitimate services through memory exhaustion or process termination. The vulnerability also mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which covers scripting through web-based interfaces, and T1203, involving exploitation of remote services through web browsers. Organizations that failed to patch this vulnerability faced increased risk of data breaches, system compromise, and potential regulatory violations. The fix required immediate deployment of updated Flash Player versions, with Adobe releasing patches specifically addressing this memory corruption issue. Security teams needed to conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments across their networks to identify systems running vulnerable versions, while implementing network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlighted the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date multimedia frameworks and demonstrated how legacy software components could serve as persistent attack vectors in modern threat landscapes, particularly given the widespread adoption of Flash Player across enterprise environments. The remediation process required careful coordination between IT operations, security teams, and application owners to ensure complete patch deployment while minimizing service disruption. Organizations that had already migrated away from Flash technology were less affected, but those still dependent on Flash-based applications needed to prioritize this patch deployment as a critical security measure. The vulnerability's exploitation required sophisticated attack techniques that could bypass standard security controls, making it particularly challenging to defend against without proper patching and network segmentation strategies.