CVE-2013-0504 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the broker service in Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.67 and 11.x before 11.6.602.171 on Windows and Mac OS X, and before 10.3.183.67 and 11.x before 11.2.202.273 on Linux, allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-0504 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within Adobe Flash Player's broker service component that affected multiple operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms. This vulnerability resides in the Flash Player software's handling of certain data processing operations within its broker service functionality, creating a condition where malicious input can exceed allocated memory boundaries and overwrite adjacent memory locations. The flaw specifically impacts versions prior to 10.3.183.67 for Flash Player 10.x and 11.6.602.171 for Flash Player 11.x on Windows and Mac OS X, while Linux versions are affected before 10.3.183.67 and 11.2.202.273 for Flash Player 11.x respectively.
The technical implementation of this buffer overflow vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking within the broker service component of Flash Player when processing certain data structures or input parameters. Attackers can exploit this condition by crafting malicious content that triggers the vulnerable code path, causing the program to write data beyond the allocated buffer space. This overflow can overwrite critical memory areas including return addresses, function pointers, or other control data structures, enabling attackers to manipulate program execution flow. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that multiple attack scenarios could potentially trigger this vulnerability, including but not limited to malformed multimedia content, web pages containing malicious flash objects, or specially crafted files that leverage the broker service functionality.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-0504 is severe and far-reaching given Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise and consumer environments. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process, typically running with the same permissions as the user who initiated the browser session. This can lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, persistent backdoor installation, or further escalation attacks within network environments. The vulnerability's presence across multiple operating systems and Flash Player versions creates an extensive attack surface that security professionals had to address urgently. Organizations running affected versions of Flash Player faced significant risk of targeted attacks, particularly in environments where users accessed untrusted web content or where Flash Player was enabled in browser configurations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of affected Flash Player installations across all supported platforms. Adobe released security updates addressing this issue in versions 10.3.183.67 and 11.6.602.171 for Windows and Mac OS X, and 10.3.183.67 and 11.2.202.273 for Linux systems. System administrators should have implemented immediate patch management procedures to update all affected systems. Additional mitigations included disabling Flash Player in web browsers where possible, implementing network-based security controls to block Flash content, and monitoring for suspicious network activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of how application-level vulnerabilities can be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution. The attack pattern for this vulnerability would typically follow ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, demonstrating the comprehensive impact such a flaw can have on system security posture. Organizations should have also considered implementing endpoint detection and response solutions to identify potential exploitation attempts and maintain comprehensive audit logs for forensic analysis purposes.