CVE-2012-5265 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.29 and 11.x before 11.4.402.287 on Windows and Mac OS X, before 10.3.183.29 and 11.x before 11.2.202.243 on Linux, before 11.1.111.19 on Android 2.x and 3.x, and before 11.1.115.20 on Android 4.x; Adobe AIR before 3.4.0.2710; and Adobe AIR SDK before 3.4.0.2710 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than other Flash Player buffer overflow CVEs listed in APSB12-22.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-5265 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments that affected multiple operating systems and platforms. This vulnerability specifically targeted versions prior to 10.3.183.29 for Windows and Mac OS X, 10.3.183.29 for Linux, 11.4.402.287 for Android 2.x and 3.x, 11.2.202.243 for Android 4.x, and corresponding Adobe AIR versions before 3.4.0.2710. The flaw was particularly concerning because it enabled remote code execution attacks that could be leveraged by threat actors to compromise affected systems without requiring user interaction. This vulnerability was distinct from other Flash Player buffer overflow issues documented in Adobe Security Bulletins, indicating a unique attack vector or exploitation mechanism that required separate mitigation approaches.
The technical nature of this buffer overflow vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the Flash Player runtime environment. When processing specially crafted multimedia content or SWF files, the application failed to properly bounds-check memory allocations, allowing attackers to overwrite adjacent memory regions with malicious code. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient checks allow attackers to write beyond allocated memory boundaries. The exploitation typically involved crafting malicious Flash content that would trigger the buffer overflow during content rendering, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected user.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-5265 was significant across enterprise and consumer environments, as Flash Player remained widely deployed across web browsers and desktop applications. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability through drive-by downloads or malicious websites, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently visited untrusted web content. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability meant that organizations needed to implement coordinated patching across Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile platforms, creating operational complexity for security teams. The vulnerability's presence in Adobe AIR applications extended the attack surface to desktop applications and mobile environments, potentially allowing attackers to compromise entire application ecosystems. Organizations running vulnerable versions faced risks of data breaches, system compromise, and potential lateral movement within network environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-5265 required immediate patching of affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR versions, with security teams prioritizing deployment across all supported platforms. Organizations should have implemented network-based controls such as web application firewalls and content filtering to block malicious Flash content, particularly in environments where immediate patching was not feasible. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would have placed it within the T1059.007 technique category for command and scripting interpreter, as exploitation often involved execution of malicious code through the Flash runtime. Additionally, implementing browser security policies that restricted Flash content execution or disabled it entirely where possible provided effective defensive measures. Security teams also needed to monitor for indicators of compromise related to Flash-based attacks and implement enhanced logging to detect potential exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability's exploitation could occur silently without user awareness.