CVE-2012-5276 in AIR
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.43 and 11.x before 11.5.502.110 on Windows and Mac OS X, before 10.3.183.43 and 11.x before 11.2.202.251 on Linux, before 11.1.111.24 on Android 2.x and 3.x, and before 11.1.115.27 on Android 4.x; Adobe AIR before 3.5.0.600; and Adobe AIR SDK before 3.5.0.600 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-5274, CVE-2012-5275, CVE-2012-5277, and CVE-2012-5280.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/19/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical buffer overflow flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments that affected multiple operating systems and platforms. The issue stems from improper input validation and memory management within the Flash Player's handling of multimedia content and scripting elements. The vulnerability exists across various versions of Flash Player and AIR, with specific patched versions defined for different platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and multiple Android versions. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems through unspecified attack vectors that differ from other contemporaneous vulnerabilities in the same vulnerability series.
The technical implementation of this buffer overflow occurs when the Flash Player processes malformed or specially crafted multimedia content that exceeds allocated memory buffers. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, though the specific implementation likely involves heap-based memory corruption due to Flash Player's complex memory management architecture. The vulnerability affects the runtime execution environment of Flash Player and AIR applications, where memory allocation occurs dynamically during content processing. Attackers can exploit this by delivering malicious SWF files or web content that triggers the overflow condition, potentially leading to complete system compromise when executed with user privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple threat vectors and attack surfaces within enterprise and consumer environments. Organizations using Flash Player for web content delivery face significant risk as this vulnerability can be exploited through web browsers without requiring any user interaction beyond visiting a compromised website. The attack surface is particularly broad given Flash Player's widespread deployment across Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile platforms. Mobile environments present additional complexity due to platform-specific variations in how the vulnerability manifests, with different patched versions required for Android 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x platforms. The vulnerability's exploitation potential aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, specifically targeting the Windows command shell through Flash Player's execution context.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR installations across all supported platforms. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all systems receive updates promptly, particularly given the cross-platform nature of the vulnerability. Network-based mitigations such as content filtering and web application firewalls can provide additional protection layers while patches are deployed. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and endpoint detection systems. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution flaw necessitates immediate attention and layered defense approaches. Regular security assessments should verify that all Flash Player installations have been properly updated to patched versions, with particular attention to mobile platforms where patch deployment may be more complex. System administrators should also consider disabling Flash Player in browser environments where it is not strictly required for business operations, reducing the attack surface for this and similar vulnerabilities.