CVE-2011-2454 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-2011-2453, 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 versions before 11.1.102.55 across multiple operating systems and Adobe AIR versions before 3.1.0.4880 contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability represented a distinct threat vector from other similarly named CVEs in the same timeframe, indicating a separate code path or memory handling mechanism within the Flash runtime environment. The unspecified attack vectors suggest that the memory corruption could be triggered through various methods including malformed SWF files, malicious web content, or crafted embedded media objects that bypass normal input validation mechanisms.
The technical flaw manifested as improper memory management during Flash Player's processing of multimedia content, leading to buffer overflows, heap corruption, or other memory-related vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers to gain arbitrary code execution privileges on targeted systems. This type of 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 exploits. The vulnerability's presence across multiple platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, and Android demonstrated the widespread impact of the flaw, as it affected the core Flash Player runtime rather than being platform-specific.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was severe and multifaceted, as it allowed attackers to execute malicious code remotely without requiring user interaction or specific privileges. Systems running affected versions of Flash Player or AIR were vulnerable to exploitation through web browsers, email clients, or any application that embedded Flash content. The memory corruption could result in system crashes, application instability, or complete system compromise depending on the exploitation method used. Security analysts noted that this vulnerability was particularly dangerous because Flash Player was widely deployed across enterprise networks and consumer environments, making it an attractive target for zero-day exploits.
Organizations and users needed to implement immediate remediation measures including updating to patched versions of Adobe Flash Player and AIR, as well as implementing network-level protections such as content filtering and sandboxing mechanisms. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and demonstrated how legacy software components could remain attractive targets for attackers even when they were not actively exploited in the wild. Security professionals recommended implementing layered defense strategies including web application firewalls, browser security extensions, and regular vulnerability assessments to mitigate risks associated with Flash Player dependencies. The incident underscored the critical nature of Adobe's security update process and the need for organizations to maintain comprehensive patch management procedures for all software components, including those that had been deprecated or were considered legacy technologies.