CVE-2015-3092 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 do not properly restrict discovery of memory addresses, which allows attackers to bypass the ASLR protection mechanism via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3091.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2022
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, along with affected versions on Linux, contain a critical vulnerability that undermines fundamental memory protection mechanisms. This vulnerability specifically targets the Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) security feature, which is designed to randomize the memory layout of processes to prevent exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities. The flaw enables attackers to discover memory addresses through unspecified vectors that differ from those exploited in CVE-2015-3091, making it a distinct yet equally dangerous vulnerability. The vulnerability affects not only Flash Player but also Adobe AIR versions before 17.0.0.172, including the Adobe AIR SDK and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler versions prior to 17.0.0.172, creating a widespread impact across the Adobe ecosystem.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of memory address discovery mechanisms within the Adobe Flash Player runtime environment. ASLR is a crucial security mitigation that randomizes the memory locations of critical system components including the stack, heap, and executable code segments to prevent attackers from reliably predicting memory addresses for exploitation. However, this vulnerability allows adversaries to bypass these protections through unspecified attack vectors that leak memory addresses, effectively nullifying the randomness that ASLR provides. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the core memory management level of the Flash Player runtime, where attackers can leverage this information to craft more sophisticated exploits that would otherwise be impossible to execute successfully.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally weakens the security posture of systems running affected Adobe software. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can bypass multiple layers of security protection including ASLR, stack canaries, and DEP mechanisms, enabling them to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process. This can lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and persistent backdoor access. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Flash Player is commonly used for web-based applications, as it provides attackers with a reliable method to circumvent modern exploit mitigation techniques that are standard in contemporary operating systems. The impact is further amplified by the widespread deployment of Adobe Flash Player across both desktop and mobile platforms, creating a broad attack surface.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of all affected Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR installations across all supported platforms. Organizations should prioritize updating to the latest versions of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR that contain fixes for this vulnerability, ensuring that all systems are protected against the ASLR bypass mechanism. Additionally, security administrators should implement network-based protections including web application firewalls and content filtering systems to restrict access to potentially malicious Flash content. The vulnerability aligns with attack patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework under the T1059.007 technique for command and script interpreter, as attackers can leverage the bypassed memory protections to execute malicious code. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as sandboxing, privilege separation, and monitoring for unusual memory access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-200 as "Information Exposure" and demonstrates how memory protection mechanisms can be undermined through improper implementation of address discovery functions within application runtime environments.