CVE-2014-0557 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 do not properly restrict discovery of memory addresses, which allows attackers to bypass the ASLR protection mechanism via unspecified vectors.
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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 vulnerability that undermines fundamental memory protection mechanisms on multiple platforms. This vulnerability specifically targets the Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) security feature, which is designed to randomize memory layout to prevent exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities. The flaw enables attackers to discover memory addresses through unspecified vectors that bypass ASLR protections, effectively nullifying this critical defense mechanism.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory address discovery mechanisms within the Adobe Flash Player and AIR runtime environments. When ASLR is properly implemented, it randomizes the memory layout of processes to make it difficult for attackers to predict where specific code or data resides in memory. However, this vulnerability allows attackers to systematically uncover these randomized addresses through unspecified attack vectors, potentially enabling more sophisticated exploitation techniques such as return-oriented programming (ROP) attacks or direct memory manipulation. The weakness affects multiple versions across Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms, demonstrating the widespread nature of this implementation flaw.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0557 is significant as it fundamentally weakens the security posture of systems running affected Adobe software. Attackers who can bypass ASLR gain substantial advantages in exploiting subsequent vulnerabilities, as they can now accurately target memory addresses that would otherwise be protected by randomization. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-209, which describes improper handling of exceptions or errors that can lead to information exposure, and represents a critical failure in memory protection mechanisms. The attack surface extends across multiple operating systems and deployment scenarios, including desktop applications, mobile platforms, and development environments using Adobe AIR SDKs.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability require immediate patching of all affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR installations across all supported platforms. Organizations should prioritize updating to the patched versions specified in Adobe's security bulletins, as these updates address the memory address discovery mechanisms that were being exploited. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring for unusual memory access patterns and consider deploying exploit prevention tools that can detect attempts to bypass ASLR. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and highlights the critical role that ASLR plays in modern exploit prevention strategies. This weakness also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1055, which covers exploitation of legitimate credentials and system processes, as bypassing ASLR allows for more sophisticated system-level attacks that can leverage legitimate application processes to execute malicious code.