CVE-2012-5272 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 • 04/14/2021
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to specific patched releases across multiple operating systems contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that could be exploited to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions. 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 devices before 11.1.111.19, and Android 4.x devices before 11.1.115.20. Additionally, Adobe AIR before version 3.4.0.2710 and Adobe AIR SDK before the same version were also impacted by this memory corruption flaw. The vulnerability represented a distinct issue from other Flash Player memory corruption vulnerabilities documented in Adobe's security bulletin APSB12-22, indicating that attackers could leverage unspecified vectors to manipulate memory structures in ways that led to code execution or system instability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under memory corruption patterns that are commonly associated with software security weaknesses, specifically aligning with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. Memory corruption vulnerabilities typically occur when applications fail to properly validate memory access boundaries, allowing attackers to overwrite critical memory locations or execute malicious code within the application's memory space. The fact that this vulnerability was separate from other Flash Player memory corruption issues suggests it involved unique exploitation vectors or memory handling patterns specific to certain versions of the Flash runtime environment.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability created significant risk for organizations and end users who relied on Flash Player for web content delivery, multimedia applications, and rich internet applications. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability meant that attackers could potentially target users across Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and mobile Android environments with a single exploitation technique. The impact could manifest as remote code execution, allowing attackers to gain full control over affected systems, or as denial of service conditions that could disrupt legitimate user activities and system operations. Organizations running legacy Flash-based applications faced particular challenges in addressing this vulnerability due to the widespread use of Flash content across web browsers and applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of affected Flash Player versions, Adobe AIR installations, and AIR SDK components. Organizations should have implemented comprehensive network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and established incident response procedures for handling successful attacks. Security teams needed to prioritize patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of Adobe's security updates across all affected platforms. The vulnerability also highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date security monitoring systems and implementing application whitelisting controls to prevent execution of untrusted Flash content. Organizations should have considered implementing additional security layers such as browser sandboxing, content filtering, and network segmentation to reduce the attack surface and limit potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. This vulnerability underscored the broader security challenges associated with legacy software components and the critical need for continuous security assessment and remediation of known vulnerabilities.