CVE-2013-1371 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.68 and 11.x before 11.6.602.180 on Windows and Mac OS X, before 10.3.183.68 and 11.x before 11.2.202.275 on Linux, before 11.1.111.44 on Android 2.x and 3.x, and before 11.1.115.48 on Android 4.x; Adobe AIR before 3.6.0.6090; Adobe AIR SDK before 3.6.0.6090; and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 3.6.0.6090 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2021
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to specific patches contain a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution and denial of service attacks across multiple operating systems and platforms. This vulnerability affects Flash Player versions before 10.3.183.68 and 11.x before 11.6.602.180 on Windows and Mac OS X, with additional version constraints for Linux, Android 2.x and 3.x, and Android 4.x. The vulnerability also extends to Adobe AIR versions before 3.6.0.6090 and related SDK components, making it a widespread issue affecting the entire Adobe runtime ecosystem. The unspecified vectors through which attackers can exploit this memory corruption typically involve malformed input processing within Flash Player's handling of multimedia content, particularly when processing specially crafted swf files or embedded objects in web browsers. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation of remote services through memory corruption attacks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within Flash Player's runtime environment, where attackers can manipulate memory structures through crafted malicious content. When Flash Player processes vulnerable input, it fails to properly validate memory boundaries, allowing attackers to overwrite critical memory locations and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process. The memory corruption occurs during the parsing and rendering of multimedia elements, particularly affecting the player's handling of dynamic content and object instantiation. This flaw creates a pathway for attackers to bypass standard security mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to system resources, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Flash Player remains widely deployed.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-1371 is severe and far-reaching, as it affects multiple platforms and versions across the Adobe ecosystem, creating extensive attack surface for threat actors. Organizations running affected versions of Flash Player and AIR are vulnerable to sophisticated attacks that can result in complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor installation. The vulnerability's cross-platform nature means that defenders must implement comprehensive patch management strategies across Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and mobile operating systems, each with their own version constraints and update requirements. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through various delivery mechanisms including malicious websites, email attachments, or compromised web applications, making it particularly challenging to defend against in environments where Flash content remains prevalent.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patch deployment across all affected systems, with particular attention to enterprise environments where Flash Player usage is still common. Organizations should implement network segmentation and web filtering to prevent access to known malicious sites while monitoring for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis. The use of sandboxing mechanisms and privilege separation can help limit the impact if exploitation occurs, though the memory corruption nature of the vulnerability makes complete protection challenging. Security teams should also consider disabling Flash Player in browsers where it is not essential and implement automated patch management processes to ensure timely updates across all systems. Additionally, monitoring for unusual memory usage patterns or process behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts can provide early warning of potential attacks. This vulnerability serves as a prime example of why organizations should transition away from legacy technologies like Flash Player and implement more secure modern alternatives for multimedia content delivery.