CVE-2015-0356 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
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 by leveraging an unspecified "type confusion."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2022
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 13.0.0.281 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.169 on Windows and OS X platforms, as well as versions before 11.2.202.457 on Linux, contained a critical type confusion vulnerability that enabled remote code execution attacks. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of data types during runtime execution, specifically when Flash Player processes multimedia content and objects. The flaw occurs when the player incorrectly interprets the type of data being manipulated, leading to situations where memory operations target unexpected data structures. This type confusion vulnerability represents a classic software security flaw that falls under the CWE-468 category of "Improper Use of Hardcoded Values" and more specifically maps to CWE-476 which addresses "NULL Pointer Dereference" and CWE-121 which covers "Stack-based Buffer Overflow" as the underlying mechanisms often manifest through these patterns.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting malicious Flash content that manipulates object references in a way that causes the Flash Player runtime to perform operations on data structures using incorrect type assumptions. Attackers can leverage this flaw by delivering specially crafted SWF files through web browsers or other Flash Player execution environments. When the vulnerable player processes these malicious files, the type confusion leads to memory corruption that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process. This typically results in a complete system compromise as the attacker gains the ability to run malicious code on the target system. The vulnerability operates at the runtime level within the Flash Player's ActionScript Virtual Machine, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered simply by visiting a compromised website or opening a malicious file.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-0356 was severe and widespread given Flash Player's ubiquity across web browsers and operating systems. Organizations experienced significant risk exposure as the vulnerability allowed attackers to bypass traditional security controls and gain persistent access to systems. The exploitability of this flaw was high due to the widespread use of Flash Player and the fact that users typically had no control over the Flash Player installation or updates. Security researchers noted that the vulnerability could be chained with other exploits to create more sophisticated attack vectors, and it was frequently targeted in zero-day attack campaigns. The affected versions spanned multiple major releases, making the vulnerability particularly challenging to remediate across enterprise environments. This vulnerability also highlighted the broader security implications of rich Internet application platforms and contributed to the eventual decline in Flash Player usage as security concerns mounted.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of affected Flash Player installations, with Adobe releasing security updates that addressed the type confusion issue through improved type checking mechanisms and memory management. Organizations should have implemented browser security policies that restricted Flash Player usage or disabled it entirely where possible. The recommended approach included deploying automatic update mechanisms, network-based security controls such as web application firewalls, and monitoring for suspicious Flash content usage. Security teams were advised to conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running vulnerable Flash Player versions and establish incident response procedures for potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, the vulnerability underscored the importance of application sandboxing and privilege separation techniques, as outlined in the mitre ATT&CK framework under the T1059.007 technique for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic" and related execution methods. Organizations were encouraged to adopt defense-in-depth strategies that reduced reliance on single points of failure like Flash Player and implemented more secure alternatives for rich media content delivery.