CVE-2013-3335 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-2013-2728, 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, and CVE-2013-3334.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2021
Adobe Flash Player and AIR runtime environments suffered from a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution attacks. This vulnerability affected multiple platform versions including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and various Android versions, with distinct affected ranges for each operating system. The flaw manifested as an unspecified vector that could lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service conditions, representing a significant security risk for users of these multimedia frameworks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under memory corruption issues that are commonly classified as CWE-122, which represents "Heap-based Buffer Overflow" or similar heap corruption patterns. Attackers could exploit this weakness by crafting malicious Flash content that would trigger memory corruption during the processing of multimedia elements. The vulnerability's impact was particularly severe because Flash Player was widely deployed across multiple operating systems and devices, making it an attractive target for exploit developers. The fact that this vulnerability was distinct from other related CVEs in the same year indicates it involved different code paths or memory handling patterns within the Flash runtime engine.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-3335 extended far beyond typical software vulnerabilities due to Flash Player's pervasive use across web browsers, desktop applications, and mobile platforms. Organizations and individuals who had not updated their Flash installations were exposed to potential compromise through drive-by downloads, malicious websites, or compromised web content. The vulnerability's presence in both desktop and mobile versions meant that attackers could target users across multiple device types, increasing the attack surface significantly. Network security teams had to implement additional monitoring and mitigation strategies to detect exploitation attempts, while system administrators needed to prioritize patch deployment across all affected platforms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of all affected Flash Player and AIR installations across supported platforms. Organizations should have implemented network segmentation and web filtering controls to restrict access to potentially malicious Flash content until patches were deployed. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining updated software environments and implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent execution of untrusted Flash content. Security professionals needed to monitor exploit indicators and implement intrusion detection signatures specific to this vulnerability, as the memory corruption nature made it particularly challenging to detect through traditional network monitoring approaches. The incident underscored the need for comprehensive vulnerability management processes that could address cross-platform software issues effectively.
The vulnerability also demonstrated how complex software frameworks like Adobe Flash could contain multiple attack vectors that required different mitigation approaches. Security researchers and vendors had to work together to develop comprehensive patching strategies that addressed the specific memory corruption patterns affecting each platform version. This case highlighted the importance of continuous security assessments and the need for robust incident response procedures when dealing with widespread software vulnerabilities that could lead to full system compromise. The exploitation of such vulnerabilities often required advanced persistent threat capabilities, making the vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise security environments where sensitive data and systems were at risk.