CVE-2014-0548 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 remote attackers to bypass the Same Origin Policy via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/15/2022
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 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, along with Adobe AIR versions before 15.0.0.249 on Windows and OS X and before 15.0.0.252 on Android, as well as Adobe AIR SDK versions before 15.0.0.249, contained a critical security vulnerability that enabled remote attackers to bypass the Same Origin Policy mechanism. This vulnerability represents a fundamental flaw in web security architecture that allowed malicious actors to circumvent the browser's security model designed to prevent unauthorized access to resources across different origins. The Same Origin Policy is a critical security mechanism defined in web standards that prevents scripts from one origin from accessing resources from another origin, thereby protecting user data and system integrity. This specific vulnerability falls under CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and directly impacts the core security principles that govern web browser operations. The flaw permitted attackers to execute cross-origin requests that should have been blocked by the browser's security model, potentially allowing unauthorized data access, manipulation, or exfiltration. The vulnerability existed across multiple platforms and versions, making it particularly dangerous as it affected a wide range of systems and applications that relied on Flash Player and AIR for functionality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involved exploiting weaknesses in how Flash Player and AIR handled cross-origin resource requests, allowing attackers to craft malicious content that could bypass the security boundaries established by the browser's Same Origin Policy. This weakness enabled attackers to perform actions such as reading sensitive data from different origins, executing unauthorized operations, or manipulating resources that should have been protected by the browser's security model. The attack vectors were particularly concerning because they could be exploited through various delivery mechanisms including web pages, email attachments, or malicious websites that loaded Flash content. The vulnerability's impact extended beyond simple data access as it could potentially enable more sophisticated attacks such as session hijacking, credential theft, or privilege escalation within the browser environment. Security researchers identified that the flaw was particularly dangerous because it could be leveraged without requiring any user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website, making it a prime target for drive-by download attacks and automated exploitation campaigns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was significant for organizations and end users who relied on Adobe Flash-based applications and content. Systems running affected versions of Flash Player and AIR were exposed to potential data breaches, unauthorized access to sensitive information, and possible system compromise through the exploitation of cross-origin access violations. The vulnerability created a pathway for attackers to access resources that should have been protected by the browser's security model, potentially exposing user credentials, personal data, or organizational information. Organizations faced increased risk of security incidents, compliance violations, and potential legal consequences due to the exposure of sensitive data through this vulnerability. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability meant that security teams had to address the issue across multiple operating systems and deployment scenarios, increasing the complexity and resource requirements for remediation efforts. This vulnerability also highlighted the broader risks associated with Flash-based technologies and contributed to the industry-wide shift away from Flash Player toward more secure web standards such as HTML5, JavaScript, and modern web APIs that provide better security guarantees and are less prone to such fundamental architectural flaws.
Organizations and users affected by this vulnerability should have immediately updated to the patched versions of Adobe Flash Player and AIR as released by Adobe. The recommended mitigation strategy included not only applying the security patches but also implementing additional security measures such as network monitoring, web application firewalls, and browser security configurations to reduce the attack surface. Security teams were advised to conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify systems running affected versions and implement proper access controls to limit potential exploitation. The incident underscored the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that go beyond traditional perimeter security. Organizations should have also considered the broader implications for their web application security posture, as this vulnerability demonstrated the critical importance of proper access control mechanisms and the potential consequences of architectural flaws in widely deployed software components. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK framework would have been associated with privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques, as attackers could leverage the bypass to gain unauthorized access to resources and potentially evade security controls that would normally prevent such access.