CVE-2012-5676 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.48 and 11.x before 11.5.502.135 on Windows, before 10.3.183.48 and 11.x before 11.5.502.136 on Mac OS X, before 10.3.183.48 and 11.x before 11.2.202.258 on Linux, before 11.1.111.29 on Android 2.x and 3.x, and before 11.1.115.34 on Android 4.x; Adobe AIR before 3.5.0.880 on Windows and before 3.5.0.890 on Mac OS X; and Adobe AIR SDK before 3.5.0.880 on Windows and before 3.5.0.890 on Mac OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/20/2021
This buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR represents a critical security flaw that affected multiple operating systems and platforms from 2012. The vulnerability exists in the way these applications handle memory allocation when processing certain data inputs, creating conditions where malicious actors can manipulate memory structures to execute arbitrary code. The issue spans across various versions of Flash Player and AIR, with different patch thresholds for each platform, indicating a widespread problem in the software's memory management systems. The vulnerability specifically affects Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Android platforms, making it particularly dangerous due to its cross-platform nature.
The technical implementation of this buffer overflow stems from insufficient bounds checking in Flash Player's handling of multimedia content and data structures. When processing certain malformed or specially crafted input data, the application fails to properly validate buffer sizes, allowing attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This flaw aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which addresses heap-based buffer overflow scenarios. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including malicious web content, specially crafted SWF files, or embedded multimedia content that triggers the vulnerable code path during execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-5676 is severe and multifaceted, as it enables remote code execution without user interaction in many scenarios. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain complete control over affected systems, potentially leading to data theft, system compromise, or deployment of additional malware. The vulnerability's presence in Adobe AIR further amplifies the risk since AIR applications can execute with elevated privileges and access system resources. This makes the attack surface particularly broad as users may encounter malicious content through web browsers, email attachments, or even legitimate applications that utilize Flash technology. The vulnerability's exploitation can result in persistent backdoors, credential theft, and complete system takeover, making it a prime target for advanced persistent threat actors.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of all affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR installations across all supported platforms. Organizations should implement network segmentation and web filtering to prevent access to potentially malicious content until patches are deployed. Security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise and conduct thorough system scans to detect any exploitation attempts. The mitigation approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter usage, as attackers may leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict Flash Player execution to trusted environments only, and regularly audit their software inventory to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other Adobe products and third-party applications that may be susceptible to similar buffer overflow conditions.