CVE-2012-0773 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
The NetStream class in Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.18 and 11.x before 11.2.202.228 on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux; Flash Player before 10.3.183.18 and 11.x before 11.2.202.223 on Solaris; Flash Player before 11.1.111.8 on Android 2.x and 3.x; and AIR before 3.2.0.2070 allows 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 • 11/30/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-0773 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Adobe Flash Player's NetStream class implementation across multiple platforms and versions. This vulnerability affects Flash Player versions prior to 10.3.183.18 and 11.x before 11.2.202.228 on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux systems, with additional affected versions on Solaris, Android, and AIR platforms. The NetStream class is responsible for handling network streaming operations in Flash applications, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could be exploited through web-based attacks that leverage Flash content execution.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the NetStream class implementation, creating conditions where attackers can manipulate memory structures to execute arbitrary code or induce denial of service conditions. Memory corruption vulnerabilities of this nature typically arise from insufficient bounds checking, improper pointer management, or inadequate input validation within the affected code paths. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that multiple attack surfaces within the NetStream class could be exploited, potentially including malformed network data streams, unexpected data types, or improper handling of streaming parameters that lead to buffer overflows or other memory corruption scenarios.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple operating systems and mobile platforms, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where Flash content is commonly used for multimedia applications, web-based training, and interactive content delivery. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized code execution privileges on targeted systems, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor installation. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability means that organizations running Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, and Android systems would all require immediate remediation, creating significant operational overhead for security teams. Additionally, the vulnerability affects both desktop Flash Player installations and Adobe AIR applications, expanding the potential attack surface considerably.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including mandatory Flash Player updates to the patched versions mentioned in the CVE description, along with network-level controls such as web application firewalls that can block or filter Flash content from untrusted sources. Security teams should also consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms for Flash content execution and monitoring for suspicious network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and may also relate to CWE-787, representing out-of-bounds write operations, depending on the specific exploitation vector. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability would map to techniques involving execution through compromised applications and potentially privilege escalation through code injection, making it a significant concern for both defensive and offensive security operations. The widespread adoption of Flash Player in enterprise environments makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations that have not yet fully transitioned away from legacy Flash-based applications and services.