CVE-2013-3360 in Shockwave Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Shockwave Player before 12.0.4.144 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-3359.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2021
Adobe Shockwave Player version 12.0.4.143 and earlier contains a memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution or denial of service attacks through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability represents a distinct issue from CVE-2013-3359, indicating separate code paths or exploitation mechanisms within the Shockwave Player runtime environment. The flaw manifests as a memory corruption condition that can be triggered when processing specially crafted Shockwave content or files, potentially allowing attackers to overwrite memory locations and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user. The vulnerability's unspecified vectors suggest multiple potential entry points including malformed multimedia content, corrupted file structures, or unexpected data processing scenarios within the Shockwave Player's handling of rich media assets. This type of memory corruption vulnerability typically falls under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The attack surface is particularly concerning as Shockwave Player was widely distributed and used for multimedia content delivery across various platforms, making it an attractive target for adversaries seeking to leverage the vulnerability for privilege escalation or system compromise. The vulnerability's potential for remote code execution places it within the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059 for command and script interpreter, and potentially T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation. Organizations deploying Shockwave Player should consider the security implications of this vulnerability, particularly in environments where users might encounter untrusted Shockwave content. The memory corruption aspect of this vulnerability indicates that attackers could potentially manipulate heap or stack memory structures through carefully crafted inputs, leading to unpredictable behavior including application crashes, memory corruption, or full system compromise. Given the nature of multimedia players as attack vectors, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of keeping media runtime environments updated and implementing network segmentation to limit exposure to potentially malicious content.
The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service as the memory corruption can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where users may encounter untrusted Shockwave content through web browsers or email attachments. This type of vulnerability is especially concerning because Shockwave Player was often installed as part of larger software bundles or web browser plugins, increasing the attack surface and potential for exploitation. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple code paths within the Shockwave Player could be susceptible to similar memory corruption issues, indicating a broader architectural concern with how the player handles various multimedia formats and data types. Security researchers have noted that such vulnerabilities often stem from inadequate input validation or insufficient bounds checking within multimedia processing libraries, where the player's handling of compressed or encoded data could lead to buffer overflows or memory corruption. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue aligns with common exploitation patterns described in the CWE database, particularly CWE-121 and CWE-122 which cover buffer overflow conditions that can lead to arbitrary code execution. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for organizations that continue to use older versions of Shockwave Player, as the attack surface remains open for exploitation. The potential for privilege escalation through this vulnerability makes it particularly dangerous in environments where users have elevated privileges or where the player is used in automated systems. Organizations should consider implementing security controls such as application whitelisting, network firewalls to block Shockwave content delivery, and user education to avoid downloading untrusted Shockwave files. The vulnerability's existence also highlights the importance of proper software patch management and the risks associated with legacy multimedia players that may no longer receive security updates from vendors. Given the widespread distribution of Shockwave Player and its integration with various web technologies, the vulnerability demonstrates how multimedia runtime environments can serve as persistent attack vectors that require continuous monitoring and security updates to maintain operational security. The memory corruption nature of the vulnerability aligns with attack patterns commonly observed in browser-based exploits and multimedia player vulnerabilities, where attackers leverage the complex processing requirements of rich media content to gain unauthorized access to systems. This vulnerability's potential for remote code execution through unspecified vectors underscores the need for comprehensive security assessments of multimedia environments and the importance of maintaining current security patches for all runtime components.