CVE-2014-0547 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.244 and 14.x and 15.x before 15.0.0.152 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.406 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 15.0.0.249 on Windows and OS X and before 15.0.0.252 on Android, Adobe AIR SDK before 15.0.0.249, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 15.0.0.249 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-0549, CVE-2014-0550, CVE-2014-0551, CVE-2014-0552, and CVE-2014-0555.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/15/2022
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR versions prior to specified patches contain a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability affects multiple platform configurations including Windows, OS X, and Linux operating systems across various Flash Player and AIR versions. The flaw manifests through unspecified attack vectors that differ from other related vulnerabilities in the same year, indicating a distinct exploitation pathway that requires separate remediation efforts.
The technical nature of this vulnerability resides in improper memory handling mechanisms within the Adobe Flash Player runtime environment and Adobe AIR application framework. Memory corruption vulnerabilities typically occur when applications fail to properly validate or manage memory allocations, leading to situations where attacker-controlled data can overwrite critical memory regions. This particular flaw allows adversaries to manipulate memory structures in ways that can either execute malicious code directly or cause the targeted applications to crash through controlled memory corruption.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to enterprise environments where Flash Player remains installed on user systems. The attack surface is broad due to Flash Player's widespread deployment across different platforms and applications. Successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the affected user. Additionally, the vulnerability can be leveraged for denial of service attacks that disrupt legitimate business operations, particularly in environments where Flash Player is integral to web-based applications or content delivery systems.
The vulnerability aligns with common weakness enumerations such as CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. These classifications reflect the core memory management issues that enable the exploitation. From the MITRE ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving execution through compromised applications and privilege escalation, as attackers can leverage the memory corruption to gain elevated system privileges. The attack chain typically involves delivering malicious Flash content through web browsers or other applications that invoke Flash Player, followed by exploitation of the memory corruption to achieve code execution.
Organizations should implement immediate remediation through patch management procedures to update all affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR installations to their latest secure versions. System administrators should also consider implementing network-based controls such as content filtering and web application firewalls to prevent access to potentially malicious Flash content. Additionally, user education regarding the risks of executing untrusted Flash content remains crucial in reducing exploitation success rates. The vulnerability's presence across multiple platforms necessitates comprehensive security policies that address all affected operating systems and application frameworks to ensure complete protection against this memory corruption threat.