CVE-2014-0539 in Flash
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.231 and 14.x before 14.0.0.145 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.394 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 14.0.0.137 on Android, Adobe AIR SDK before 14.0.0.137, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 14.0.0.137 allow attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-0537.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2022
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR implementations contained a critical access restriction bypass vulnerability that allowed attackers to circumvent intended security controls through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability affected multiple platform versions including Windows, OS X, and Linux operating systems, with specific version ranges indicating the scope of impacted software. The flaw represented a distinct security weakness separate from CVE-2014-0537, suggesting different underlying technical mechanisms or code paths that enabled unauthorized access. The vulnerability primarily targeted the sandboxing mechanisms that Flash Player and AIR employ to isolate potentially malicious content from the underlying operating system, creating opportunities for privilege escalation or unauthorized data access. This weakness was particularly concerning given Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise environments and user systems, where it often served as a primary vector for multimedia content delivery and web application execution. The access restriction bypass could potentially enable attackers to execute arbitrary code, access restricted system resources, or perform unauthorized operations within the security boundaries established by the Flash runtime environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability likely involved flaws in the Flash Player's security model or AIR's application sandboxing mechanisms, potentially through improper handling of cross-domain policy enforcement, inadequate validation of file access permissions, or weaknesses in the runtime's security boundary enforcement. Attackers could exploit this weakness to bypass intended access controls that normally prevent Flash content from accessing local files, network resources, or system functions. The vulnerability's impact extended across multiple platforms and versions, indicating a fundamental design or implementation issue within the Flash runtime architecture rather than a simple patchable code defect. This cross-platform nature suggested that the underlying flaw existed in core components shared across different operating systems and runtime environments, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with diverse technology infrastructures. The security implications were further amplified by the widespread adoption of Flash Player and AIR across both desktop and mobile platforms, creating a broad attack surface for potential exploitation.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of Adobe Flash Player and AIR faced significant operational risks including potential data breaches, system compromise, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability's presence in both desktop and mobile runtime environments meant that attackers could potentially exploit it across different device types and deployment scenarios. Security teams needed to prioritize immediate remediation efforts across all affected platforms, including Windows, OS X, Linux, and Android systems. The exploitability of this vulnerability was particularly concerning given that Flash Player was often enabled by default in web browsers and applications, creating numerous potential attack vectors. Organizations implementing security monitoring solutions needed to establish detection capabilities for anomalous Flash Player behavior or unauthorized access attempts that might indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. The incident highlighted the importance of maintaining current security patches for multimedia runtime environments and implementing layered security controls to mitigate risks associated with legacy software components.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate deployment of patched versions across all affected systems, with particular attention to enterprise environments where Flash Player was widely deployed. Organizations should have implemented network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and established incident response procedures for handling security events related to Flash Player vulnerabilities. The remediation process needed to address all affected platforms including Windows, OS X, Linux, and Android systems, ensuring that both runtime environments and development tools were updated to prevent further exploitation. Security teams should have conducted comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected versions of Flash Player and AIR, prioritizing high-risk environments for immediate patching. Additional protective measures included implementing browser security policies that restricted Flash Player execution, deploying application whitelisting solutions, and establishing network segmentation to limit potential lateral movement if exploitation occurred. The vulnerability underscored the necessity of maintaining up-to-date security patches for multimedia runtime environments and implementing comprehensive software inventory management to identify and remediate legacy components that posed security risks. This case demonstrated how vulnerabilities in widely deployed runtime environments could create significant security exposure across multiple platforms and required coordinated remediation efforts across different operating system environments and software deployment scenarios.