CVE-2014-0564 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.250 and 14.x and 15.x before 15.0.0.189 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.411 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 15.0.0.293, Adobe AIR SDK before 15.0.0.302, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 15.0.0.302 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-0558.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2022
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 13.0.0.250 and 14.x and 15.x before 15.0.0.189 on Windows and OS X platforms, along with Adobe AIR versions before 15.0.0.293 and related SDK versions, contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that could be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause denial of service conditions. This vulnerability represented a distinct issue from CVE-2014-0558 and affected multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms where Flash Player was installed. The flaw manifested through unspecified attack vectors that allowed malicious actors to manipulate memory structures within the Flash Player runtime environment. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-119 weakness category, which encompasses memory corruption issues that can lead to unauthorized code execution or system instability. The vulnerability's exploitation could result in complete system compromise, as attackers could leverage the memory corruption to inject and execute malicious code within the context of the Flash Player process. The attack surface was particularly concerning given Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise and consumer environments, making this vulnerability a prime target for exploit development.
The technical implementation of this memory corruption vulnerability involved improper handling of memory operations within the Flash Player runtime, specifically affecting how the application managed memory allocation and deallocation during content processing. Attackers could craft specially designed Flash content that would trigger the memory corruption when executed by the vulnerable Flash Player versions. This typically occurred through malformed or malicious SWF files that contained crafted data structures designed to overflow buffers or manipulate memory pointers in ways that would lead to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability's impact extended beyond simple denial of service, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to gain complete control over affected systems, potentially leading to data exfiltration, persistent backdoor installation, or further network reconnaissance activities. The memory corruption characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as exploitation would enable attackers to execute arbitrary commands on compromised systems through the Flash Player process.
Organizations running vulnerable Adobe Flash Player installations faced significant operational risks, as the vulnerability could be exploited through various attack vectors including web browsing, email attachments, or malicious websites. The exploitation required minimal user interaction, often only visiting a compromised website that delivered malicious Flash content. Security teams needed to prioritize patching efforts across all affected systems, as the vulnerability had been actively exploited in the wild prior to the release of security patches. The widespread deployment of Flash Player across enterprise networks meant that a single compromised system could serve as an entry point for broader network infiltration. Organizations should have implemented immediate mitigation strategies including disabling Flash Player in web browsers, deploying network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts, and establishing incident response procedures to handle potential compromise events. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue also necessitated memory protection mechanisms such as DEP and ASLR to be properly configured on affected systems, though these protections were insufficient to prevent exploitation of the underlying vulnerability. This vulnerability highlighted the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and implementing robust patch management processes to prevent exploitation of known security flaws.