CVE-2013-1379 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.75 and 11.x before 11.7.700.169 on Windows and Mac OS X, before 10.3.183.75 and 11.x before 11.2.202.280 on Linux, before 11.1.111.50 on Android 2.x and 3.x, and before 11.1.115.54 on Android 4.x; Adobe AIR before 3.7.0.1530; and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 3.7.0.1530 do not properly initialize pointer arrays, which allows 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 • 05/08/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments that affects multiple operating systems and platforms. The vulnerability stems from improper initialization of pointer arrays within the software's memory management system, creating a condition where attackers can manipulate memory addresses to execute arbitrary code or induce denial of service conditions. The flaw exists across various versions of Adobe's multimedia frameworks, with different patch thresholds for different platforms, indicating a widespread issue that required platform-specific remediation approaches.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and relates to memory corruption patterns commonly exploited in zero-day attacks. When pointer arrays are not properly initialized, the runtime environment may allocate memory without proper bounds checking or validation, allowing attackers to craft malicious input that can overwrite critical memory locations. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through various attack vectors including web-based content, malicious files, or compromised websites that load Flash content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple threat vectors and attack surfaces. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability affects not just desktop operating systems including Windows and Mac OS X but also mobile platforms such as Android, demonstrating the widespread nature of the flaw. Additionally, the fact that Adobe AIR and AIR SDK components are affected indicates that applications built using these frameworks are also at risk, creating a cascading effect throughout the Adobe ecosystem.
The exploitation of this vulnerability typically involves crafting malicious Flash content that triggers the uninitialized pointer array condition, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for code execution. This type of attack maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which covers command and scripting interpreter usage, as attackers may use the compromised Flash runtime to execute malicious commands or scripts. The vulnerability's presence across multiple platforms including mobile operating systems makes it particularly attractive to threat actors seeking broad exploitation capabilities.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including mandatory patching of all affected Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR installations across all supported platforms. The remediation strategy should prioritize immediate deployment of vendor patches, with additional security measures including web application firewalls, content filtering, and runtime application control to prevent execution of potentially malicious Flash content. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous Flash-related network traffic or memory access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular vulnerability assessments and security audits should be conducted to ensure complete remediation across all systems and applications that may be affected by this memory corruption vulnerability.