CVE-2012-5271 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
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 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than other Flash Player memory corruption CVEs listed in APSB12-22.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2024
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to specific patched releases across multiple operating systems contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability affected Windows and Mac OS X systems running Flash Player versions before 10.3.183.29 and 11.x before 11.4.402.287, Linux systems before 10.3.183.29 and 11.x before 11.2.202.243, Android 2.x and 3.x systems before 11.1.111.19, and Android 4.x systems before 11.1.115.20. Additionally, Adobe AIR versions before 3.4.0.2710 and AIR SDK versions before 3.4.0.2710 were also impacted by this vulnerability. The flaw represented a distinct memory corruption issue separate from other vulnerabilities documented in Adobe's security bulletin APSB12-22, indicating that attackers could exploit this weakness to execute arbitrary code on affected systems or cause system crashes through memory corruption attacks. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which encompasses out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The attack surface was particularly broad given Flash Player's widespread deployment across multiple platforms and operating systems, making this vulnerability highly attractive to threat actors seeking persistent access to target networks. The memory corruption aspect of this vulnerability aligns with techniques described in the attack pattern taxonomy where adversaries leverage buffer overflows or memory management flaws to gain control over program execution flow. Organizations running affected versions of Flash Player and AIR were at significant risk of compromise, as the vulnerability could be exploited through web browsers or applications that integrated Flash content, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent backdoors or execute malicious payloads without user interaction. The remediation strategy required immediate patching of all affected software versions, with particular attention to ensuring that both Flash Player and AIR components were updated to their secure releases. Security teams needed to conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all systems running vulnerable versions and prioritize patch deployment across their environments. The vulnerability's impact extended beyond individual system compromise to potential network-wide exploitation, especially in environments where Flash content was frequently accessed through web browsers, making it a critical priority for enterprise security operations. This vulnerability highlighted the ongoing risks associated with legacy software components and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across all software platforms within organizational infrastructures.