CVE-2015-3078 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.289 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.188 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.460 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 17.0.0.172, Adobe AIR SDK before 17.0.0.172, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 17.0.0.172 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3089, CVE-2015-3090, and CVE-2015-3093.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2022
Adobe Flash Player and AIR runtime environments contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution attacks through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability affected multiple versions across different operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms, with specific version ranges indicating the scope of affected software. The flaw manifested as a heap-based buffer overflow or memory corruption issue that could be triggered by maliciously crafted Flash content delivered through web browsers or desktop applications. The vulnerability was particularly dangerous because it allowed attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the targeted user, potentially leading to full system compromise and persistent backdoor access. Security researchers identified this issue as distinct from other related vulnerabilities in the same year, emphasizing that it represented a separate attack surface requiring independent mitigation strategies.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involved improper memory management within the Flash Player runtime environment, specifically in how it handled certain data structures and memory allocations during content rendering processes. Attackers could craft malicious SWF files or exploit web content that would trigger the memory corruption when processed by the vulnerable Flash runtime. The memory corruption typically occurred during the parsing or execution of multimedia content, potentially leading to stack or heap corruption that could be leveraged for code execution. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and CWE-125, out-of-bounds read, representing common memory safety issues in interpreted runtime environments. The vulnerability's exploitation required sophisticated techniques including return-oriented programming or just-in-time compilation attacks to achieve reliable code execution on target systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was severe given the widespread adoption of Adobe Flash Player across enterprise and consumer environments. Organizations running vulnerable versions faced significant risk of targeted attacks, particularly in environments where users regularly visited untrusted websites or downloaded content from unknown sources. The vulnerability could be exploited through web browsers without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website, making it particularly dangerous for phishing campaigns and drive-by attacks. Security analysts noted that this vulnerability was often used in conjunction with other exploits to create multi-stage attack chains, where the initial Flash exploit would establish a foothold for additional malware delivery. The memory corruption nature of the vulnerability also meant that it could potentially cause system instability, leading to denial of service conditions that would disrupt normal business operations and productivity.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive patch management strategies to update all affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR runtime versions to the latest secure releases. System administrators should prioritize patching across all platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux environments, ensuring that both end-user applications and development SDKs are updated to prevent exploitation. Network security measures such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems should be configured to block known malicious Flash content and monitor for suspicious file downloads. Security teams should implement monitoring for unusual network traffic patterns and system behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution flaw necessitated immediate action, with many organizations implementing temporary network restrictions or disabling Flash content entirely until patches could be deployed. Incident response procedures should include specific protocols for detecting and containing exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on memory analysis and network traffic inspection to identify potential compromise indicators.