CVE-2013-1367 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-2013-1366, 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 of the software. This vulnerability existed in Flash Player versions prior to 10.3.183.63 on Windows, 10.3.183.61 on Mac OS X, 10.3.183.61 on Linux, 11.1.111.43 on Android 2.x and 3.x, and 11.1.115.47 on Android 4.x. Additionally, Adobe AIR versions before 3.6.0.597 and AIR SDK versions before 3.6.0.599 were also affected by this flaw. The vulnerability stemmed from improper input validation and memory management within the Flash Player runtime environment, creating a condition where malicious actors could manipulate memory allocation during the processing of multimedia content.
The technical exploitation of this buffer overflow occurred through unspecified attack vectors that allowed adversaries to overwrite memory locations beyond the bounds of allocated buffers. This type of vulnerability falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions. Attackers could craft specially malformed flash content or manipulate existing flash files to trigger the overflow condition, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the Flash Player process. The vulnerability was particularly dangerous because it could be exploited through web browsers when users visited malicious websites or opened compromised email attachments containing flash content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was severe and widespread across multiple platforms, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise user systems. Organizations and individuals using affected versions of Flash Player faced significant risk of being exploited by malware authors who could leverage this vulnerability to install backdoors, steal sensitive information, or perform other malicious activities. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability meant that defenders needed to maintain vigilance across Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile operating systems. According to the attack technique framework, this vulnerability could be classified under T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1078 for valid accounts, as attackers could potentially use the executed code to establish persistence or escalate privileges within compromised systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of all affected Flash Player and AIR installations across all supported platforms. Organizations should have implemented network-based protections including web application firewalls and content filtering systems to block malicious flash content. Security teams needed to monitor for exploitation attempts and implement proper incident response procedures. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of keeping multimedia plugins updated and the risks associated with legacy software support. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should have been conducted to identify systems running outdated versions of Flash Player. This vulnerability also reinforced the need for multi-layered security approaches that reduce reliance on single points of failure and emphasize the principle of least privilege in system configurations.
This specific vulnerability demonstrated how complex multimedia frameworks could introduce significant security risks when not properly maintained with regular security updates. The attack surface for Flash Player was particularly large due to its integration with web browsers and support for various multimedia formats, making it a frequent target for exploitation. Security researchers noted that the vulnerability's exploitation required relatively simple techniques that could be automated, making it particularly dangerous for widespread deployment. The incident underscored the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and the risks associated with running unsupported software versions. Organizations that failed to patch this vulnerability were exposed to potential data breaches and system compromise, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive patch management processes.