CVE-2015-3090 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-2015-3078, CVE-2015-3089, and CVE-2015-3093.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2024
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 13.0.0.289 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.188 on Windows and OS X platforms, along with versions before 11.2.202.460 on Linux, as well as Adobe AIR versions before 17.0.0.172 and related SDK versions, contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability represented a distinct flaw from other contemporaneous issues such as CVE-2015-3078, CVE-2015-3089, and CVE-2015-3093, demonstrating the complex nature of Flash Player security flaws that required separate remediation approaches. The vulnerability stemmed from improper memory handling mechanisms within the Flash Player runtime environment, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory structures through carefully crafted malicious content delivered via web browsers or AIR applications. This flaw falls under the CWE-125 vulnerability category, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The attack vector typically involved delivering malicious Flash content through compromised websites or email attachments, where the vulnerable Flash Player would process the content and trigger the memory corruption exploit. The operational impact of this vulnerability was severe as it allowed attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This vulnerability was particularly dangerous because Flash Player was widely deployed across multiple operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, making it a prime target for attackers seeking broad exploitation capabilities. The memory corruption aspect of this vulnerability also meant that it could be leveraged for denial of service attacks, where the corrupted memory would cause the Flash Player process to crash or behave unpredictably, disrupting legitimate user activities. Organizations running affected versions of Flash Player and AIR applications faced significant risk exposure, as the vulnerability could be exploited without user interaction once the malicious content was loaded in a browser context. The security implications extended beyond simple code execution to include potential privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms that attackers could leverage for extended access to compromised systems. This vulnerability highlighted the inherent risks of complex multimedia runtime environments and the challenges of maintaining secure memory management in software that processes untrusted content from the internet. The remediation required immediate patching of all affected versions, with security teams needing to coordinate updates across multiple platforms and deployment scenarios. The vulnerability also underscored the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against zero-day exploits targeting widely used software components.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involved sophisticated memory manipulation techniques that aligned with ATT&CK tactics including execution through malicious code injection and privilege escalation. The attack surface was particularly broad due to Flash Player's integration with web browsers and its widespread installation base, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals seeking scalable exploitation capabilities. Security researchers identified that the vulnerability was particularly challenging to detect through traditional signature-based methods, requiring more advanced behavioral analysis and memory forensics to identify exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's impact was further compounded by the fact that many organizations did not maintain strict control over Flash Player installations, leading to situations where outdated versions persisted on systems despite security policies. This particular vulnerability demonstrated the critical importance of timely patch management and the risks associated with enabling legacy multimedia technologies that are no longer actively supported by vendors. The remediation process required comprehensive inventory management to identify all affected systems, followed by coordinated patch deployment across different platforms and deployment scenarios to ensure complete protection against the exploit. Organizations needed to implement additional security controls including browser security policies, content filtering, and application whitelisting to reduce the attack surface while awaiting full patch deployment. The vulnerability also highlighted the importance of monitoring and incident response procedures for identifying and containing exploitation attempts before they could result in successful compromise of systems.