CVE-2015-0329 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.269 and 14.x through 16.x before 16.0.0.305 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.442 on Linux allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-0314, CVE-2015-0316, CVE-2015-0318, CVE-2015-0321, and CVE-2015-0330.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2022
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 13.0.0.269 on Windows and OS X and versions 14.x through 16.x before 16.0.0.305 on the same platforms as well as versions before 11.2.202.442 on Linux contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability represented a distinct flaw from other related issues in the same vulnerability family, specifically excluding CVE-2015-0314, CVE-2015-0316, CVE-2015-0318, CVE-2015-0321, and CVE-2015-0330, indicating that attackers could exploit this specific memory corruption issue to gain unauthorized system access or disrupt service availability. The vulnerability stemmed from improper memory handling within the Flash Player runtime environment, creating conditions where maliciously crafted content could trigger buffer overflows, heap corruption, or other memory management errors that would allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process. This flaw particularly affected systems running Windows and OS X operating systems where Flash Player was installed, as well as Linux systems with vulnerable versions of the software, making it a widespread concern across multiple platform environments.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability typically involved delivering malicious Flash content through web browsers or other applications that rendered Flash media, creating a vector for attackers to leverage the memory corruption flaw for privilege escalation and system compromise. The underlying issue manifested as a failure in proper bounds checking and memory allocation procedures within the Flash Player's ActionScript execution engine, where attackers could craft SWF files containing malformed data structures that would cause the application to write beyond allocated memory boundaries or corrupt critical data structures. This type of vulnerability falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions, both of which are fundamental memory safety issues that have been extensively documented in cybersecurity literature. The attack surface was particularly broad given Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise and consumer environments, making it an attractive target for adversaries seeking persistent access to systems.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability extended beyond simple denial of service scenarios to include full system compromise and potential data exfiltration capabilities. Attackers could leverage the memory corruption to execute malicious payloads that would establish backdoors, download additional malware, or perform reconnaissance activities within compromised networks. The vulnerability's exploitation required minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website or opening a compromised document, making it particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios. Security researchers noted that the flaw could be exploited in the wild, with reports of active exploitation campaigns targeting specific organizations and individuals. The vulnerability's presence in multiple major release versions of Flash Player meant that organizations needed to urgently patch affected systems, as the window for exploitation remained open across numerous versions and platforms.
Organizations facing this vulnerability should implement immediate remediation measures including mandatory updates to Flash Player versions that contain patches for the memory corruption issue, along with network-based protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems that could detect and block malicious Flash content. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls including privilege separation for Flash Player processes, memory protection mechanisms, and regular security assessments to identify potentially affected systems. The remediation process should be prioritized at the highest level due to the remote code execution capabilities and the widespread deployment of Flash Player across enterprise environments. Security professionals should monitor for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability and maintain awareness of related attack patterns as outlined in the mitre ATT&CK framework, particularly focusing on the execution and privilege escalation techniques that could be employed through this specific memory corruption flaw. The vulnerability also highlighted the broader security implications of legacy software components and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across all system components.