CVE-2014-0553 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in 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 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/15/2022
The CVE-2014-0553 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR platforms that affected multiple operating systems and versions. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of use-after-free conditions, where memory that has been freed is still accessed by the application. The flaw exists in the way these Adobe applications handle memory management during the processing of multimedia content, particularly when dealing with dynamic object allocation and deallocation. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious Flash content that triggers the improper memory handling, leading to potential remote code execution on affected systems. The vulnerability specifically impacted 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 platforms, while Linux users were affected by versions before 11.2.202.406. Additionally, Adobe AIR and AIR SDK versions were vulnerable across multiple platforms with corresponding patch thresholds.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption, as it provides attackers with a pathway to execute arbitrary code on targeted systems. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be leveraged through web browsers or other applications that embed Flash content, making it a prime target for drive-by download attacks. The exploitability of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1547.001 for registry run keys or startup folder, as successful exploitation could lead to persistence mechanisms and remote command execution. The attack vector typically involves users visiting compromised websites or opening malicious documents containing embedded Flash content, which then triggers the memory corruption and allows attackers to execute malicious payloads. This vulnerability demonstrated the inherent risks of complex multimedia frameworks and highlighted the challenges of memory management in interpreted environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-0553 primarily focus on immediate patch deployment and system hardening measures. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR installations to their patched versions, with particular attention to the specific version thresholds mentioned in the vulnerability description. The security community widely recognized this vulnerability as a high-risk threat, leading to rapid response from both Adobe and security vendors who released emergency patches and advisories. System administrators should implement network segmentation and web filtering to prevent access to potentially malicious content, while also considering disabling Flash plugin execution in web browsers. Additional protective measures include implementing application whitelisting policies, monitoring for suspicious memory access patterns, and maintaining comprehensive system monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscored the importance of the principle of least privilege and the need for regular security assessments of multimedia frameworks and browser plugins. Organizations should also consider transitioning away from Flash-based content to modern web standards, as this vulnerability exemplified the inherent security risks associated with legacy multimedia technologies.