CVE-2015-0348 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.281 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.169 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.457 on Linux allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2022
Adobe Flash Player suffered from a critical buffer overflow vulnerability that affected multiple versions across different operating systems. This vulnerability existed in Flash Player versions prior to 13.0.0.281 for Windows and OS X, and before 11.2.202.457 for Linux, as well as in 14.x through 17.x versions before 17.0.0.169 on Windows and OS X. The flaw allowed attackers to execute arbitrary code through unspecified attack vectors, making it particularly dangerous for widespread exploitation.
The buffer overflow occurred within the Flash Player runtime environment, where insufficient bounds checking permitted attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic exploitation vector that has been prevalent in software security breaches for decades. The vulnerability was particularly concerning because Flash Player was widely installed across enterprise environments and consumer systems, providing attackers with extensive reach for potential exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was severe, as it enabled remote code execution attacks that could be triggered through malicious Flash content delivered via web browsers or other applications that embedded Flash Player functionality. Attackers could leverage this flaw to install malware, establish persistent backdoors, or perform privilege escalation attacks on affected systems. The vulnerability's presence across multiple Flash Player versions meant that organizations needed to urgently patch their systems, as the attack surface was broad and the exploit potential was high.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of affected Flash Player installations across all supported platforms. Organizations should have implemented network segmentation to limit Flash content delivery and deployed web application firewalls to filter malicious content. Additionally, browser vendors and system administrators needed to disable Flash plugin execution entirely where possible, as recommended by the ATT&CK framework's mitigation strategies for exploitation techniques. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of regular security updates and the risks associated with legacy software components that remained in widespread use despite known security flaws.