CVE-2014-0509 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 11.7.700.275 and 11.8.x through 13.0.x before 13.0.0.182 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.350 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 13.0.0.83 on Android, Adobe AIR SDK before 13.0.0.83, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 13.0.0.83 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2026
The CVE-2014-0509 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments across multiple platforms and versions. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a fundamental web security weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious client-side scripts into web applications. The vulnerability specifically impacts Flash Player versions prior to 11.7.700.275 and 11.8.x through 13.0.x before 13.0.0.182 on Windows and OS X systems, as well as older Linux versions before 11.2.202.350, and affects Adobe AIR runtime environments on Android systems before version 13.0.0.83. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond traditional web browsers since Flash Player was widely integrated into web applications, desktop software, and mobile platforms, creating extensive attack surface.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through unspecified vectors that allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into Flash Player environments. This injection capability enables attackers to execute malicious code within the context of the user's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the victim. The vulnerability's nature suggests that it likely involves improper input validation or sanitization within the Flash Player's handling of user-supplied content, particularly when processing multimedia content or interactive elements that could contain malicious payloads. Attackers could craft specially crafted Flash content or web pages that, when viewed by a victim with the vulnerable Flash Player version, would execute the injected malicious code.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0509 is substantial due to Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise and consumer environments. Organizations relying on Flash-based applications, web content, or multimedia presentations were particularly vulnerable to exploitation, as the attack could occur through various delivery mechanisms including malicious websites, email attachments, or compromised web applications. The vulnerability's presence in Adobe AIR SDKs and compilers also meant that developers creating Flash-based applications were at risk, potentially creating backdoors or persistent threats within their development environments. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it enables attackers to execute arbitrary scripts within the victim's environment. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that Flash Player was often installed by default on many systems, making the exploitation more likely and the remediation more complex for organizations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-0509 primarily involve immediate patching of affected Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR installations across all supported platforms. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all vulnerable systems are updated promptly, as the vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild during its disclosure period. Additional defensive measures include implementing content security policies that restrict Flash content execution, using web application firewalls to filter malicious content, and educating users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across all software components, particularly those with broad deployment like Flash Player, which was a critical component of the web ecosystem at the time. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability's nature makes it suitable for various attack vectors including social engineering campaigns that leverage the widespread use of Flash-based content.