CVE-2012-0779 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.19 and 11.x before 11.2.202.235 on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux; before 11.1.111.9 on Android 2.x and 3.x; and before 11.1.115.8 on Android 4.x allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted file, related to an "object confusion vulnerability," as exploited in the wild in May 2012.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical object confusion flaw in Adobe Flash Player that enabled remote code execution through specially crafted files. The vulnerability affected multiple platform versions including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and various Android versions, making it particularly widespread and dangerous. The flaw stemmed from improper handling of object references during Flash Player's processing of malicious content, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory structures and execute arbitrary code on affected systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and more specifically relates to CWE-787, representing out-of-bounds write operations. Attackers exploited this weakness by crafting malicious Flash files that would cause Flash Player to incorrectly manage object references, leading to memory corruption that could be leveraged for code execution. The vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild during May 2012, demonstrating its real-world impact and the sophistication of the attack vectors employed.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-0779 was significant across enterprise and consumer environments, as Flash Player was widely deployed across multiple operating systems and devices. Organizations running affected versions faced potential compromise of user systems through web-based attacks, particularly targeting users who visited malicious websites or opened compromised email attachments containing Flash content. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability meant that security teams had to implement patches across multiple device types and operating system variants, complicating remediation efforts.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability required immediate patch deployment across all affected Adobe Flash Player installations. Organizations should have implemented network-based controls to block malicious Flash content and restricted user privileges to limit potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and demonstrated how zero-day exploits could rapidly spread through vulnerable environments. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability would map to T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage and T1203 for exploitation for privilege escalation, emphasizing the need for comprehensive defensive measures beyond simple patching. The incident underscored the critical importance of vulnerability management programs and the necessity of rapid response capabilities to address emerging threats in widely deployed software components.