CVE-2013-1366 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.63 and 11.x before 11.6.602.168 on Windows, before 10.3.183.61 and 11.x before 11.6.602.167 on Mac OS X, before 10.3.183.61 and 11.x before 11.2.202.270 on Linux, before 11.1.111.43 on Android 2.x and 3.x, and before 11.1.115.47 on Android 4.x; Adobe AIR before 3.6.0.597; and Adobe AIR SDK before 3.6.0.599 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-0642, CVE-2013-0645, CVE-2013-1365, CVE-2013-1367, CVE-2013-1368, CVE-2013-1369, CVE-2013-1370, CVE-2013-1372, and CVE-2013-1373.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2021
Adobe Flash Player suffered from a critical buffer overflow vulnerability that affected multiple operating systems and versions prior to specific patch releases. This vulnerability existed in the way Flash Player handled certain data structures during processing, creating a condition where an attacker could write beyond allocated memory boundaries. The flaw was particularly dangerous because it allowed remote code execution when users visited malicious websites or opened compromised Flash content, making it a prime target for exploit development in the cybersecurity landscape.
The technical nature of this buffer overflow stemmed from inadequate input validation and memory management within the Flash Player runtime environment. Attackers could craft malicious Flash content that would trigger the overflow when processed by the vulnerable software, potentially allowing them to overwrite adjacent memory locations and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process. This vulnerability was distinct from several other related issues in the same timeframe, indicating a unique code path that required specific exploitation techniques.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was severe across multiple platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and various Android versions. Organizations that relied heavily on Flash content for web applications, multimedia presentations, or interactive media were particularly at risk, as users could be compromised simply by visiting malicious websites or opening infected email attachments containing Flash content. The widespread adoption of Flash Player made this vulnerability particularly dangerous, as it affected a large user base across different operating systems and device types.
Security researchers classified this vulnerability according to CWE-121, which describes buffer overflow conditions where insufficient boundary checking allows writes beyond allocated buffer space. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation of remote services through buffer overflow vulnerabilities. Organizations needed to implement immediate patch management procedures to address this vulnerability, as the window for exploitation was significant given Flash Player's prevalence across enterprise and consumer environments. The remediation required updating to specific patched versions of Flash Player and Adobe AIR, with additional security measures such as disabling Flash content in web browsers and implementing network-based protections to limit exposure to potentially malicious content.