CVE-2013-2728 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.86 and 11.x before 11.7.700.202 on Windows and Mac OS X, before 10.3.183.86 and 11.x before 11.2.202.285 on Linux, before 11.1.111.54 on Android 2.x and 3.x, and before 11.1.115.58 on Android 4.x; Adobe AIR before 3.7.0.1860; and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 3.7.0.1860 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-3324, CVE-2013-3325, CVE-2013-3326, CVE-2013-3327, CVE-2013-3328, CVE-2013-3329, CVE-2013-3330, CVE-2013-3331, CVE-2013-3332, CVE-2013-3333, CVE-2013-3334, and CVE-2013-3335.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/02/2022
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to specific patched releases across multiple operating systems contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution attacks. This vulnerability affected Windows and Mac OS X systems running Flash Player versions before 10.3.183.86 and 11.x before 11.7.700.202, Linux systems before 10.3.183.86 and 11.x before 11.2.202.285, Android 2.x and 3.x systems before 11.1.111.54, and Android 4.x systems before 11.1.115.58. Additionally, Adobe AIR versions before 3.7.0.1860 and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 3.7.0.1860 were also impacted by this vulnerability. The flaw manifested through unspecified attack vectors that differed from a series of related vulnerabilities documented in CVE-2013-3324 through CVE-2013-3335, indicating this represented a distinct memory corruption issue within the Flash Player runtime environment. This vulnerability operates at the core of the Flash Player's memory management system, where improper handling of certain data structures led to exploitable memory corruption conditions that could be leveraged by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions. These memory corruption flaws typically arise from insufficient bounds checking during data processing operations within the Flash Player's ActionScript virtual machine or native code components. Attackers could craft malicious SWF files or web content that, when processed by the vulnerable Flash Player, would trigger buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions in the player's memory management subsystem. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to full system compromise, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the Flash Player process, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which covers the use of scripting languages such as ActionScript for execution of malicious code, and T1190, which describes the exploitation of vulnerabilities in software applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was significant across enterprise environments where Flash Player remained widely deployed, particularly in legacy systems and applications that relied on Flash for multimedia content delivery. Organizations running affected versions faced potential compromise from phishing attacks, drive-by downloads, or malicious websites that delivered exploit code through Flash content. The vulnerability's presence across multiple platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and various Android versions made it particularly dangerous as it could affect diverse device ecosystems. Security teams needed to prioritize patching across all affected platforms and versions, as the vulnerability could be exploited through web browsers, email clients, or other applications that integrated Flash Player functionality. The distinct nature of this vulnerability compared to the CVE-2013-3324 through CVE-2013-3335 series meant that organizations could not rely on existing mitigation strategies for those related vulnerabilities. The remediation required comprehensive patch management across all supported platforms and versions, with particular attention to Android devices where the vulnerability affected multiple Android versions and required specific patch releases for each platform variant.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including disabling Flash Player in web browsers, deploying application whitelisting policies to restrict Flash execution, and monitoring network traffic for exploitation attempts. Security controls should focus on network-based detection capabilities to identify attempts to deliver malicious Flash content, while endpoint protection solutions should be configured to block known malicious Flash content. The vulnerability's exploitation potential required comprehensive security awareness training to help users recognize potentially malicious Flash content and avoid visiting compromised websites. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing sandboxing techniques to limit the impact of successful exploitation attempts, as the memory corruption nature of the vulnerability could potentially be used to bypass traditional security controls. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that all affected systems have been properly patched and that no legacy Flash content remains in use within the organization's environment.