CVE-2015-3106 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.292 and 14.x through 18.x before 18.0.0.160 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.466 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 18.0.0.144 on Windows and before 18.0.0.143 on OS X and Android, Adobe AIR SDK before 18.0.0.144 on Windows and before 18.0.0.143 on OS X, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 18.0.0.144 on Windows and before 18.0.0.143 on OS X allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3103 and CVE-2015-3107.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/20/2025
The CVE-2015-3106 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR platforms that emerged during a period when these technologies were extensively deployed across enterprise and consumer environments. This vulnerability specifically affects multiple versions of Adobe Flash Player running on Windows and macOS systems, as well as various versions of Adobe AIR across different operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Android platforms. The flaw exists in the memory management handling of these applications, creating a condition where freed memory blocks can be accessed and potentially reused by malicious code, leading to arbitrary code execution capabilities for attackers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory deallocation practices within the Flash Player and AIR runtime environments. When certain objects are freed from memory, the application fails to properly invalidate references to these objects, creating a window where attacker-controlled data can be written to the freed memory locations. This memory corruption allows malicious actors to manipulate the execution flow of the application by overwriting function pointers, return addresses, or other critical memory structures. The vulnerability operates through unspecified attack vectors that leverage the inherent weaknesses in how these Adobe applications manage object lifecycles and memory allocation patterns, making exploitation particularly challenging to detect and prevent.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-3106 extends beyond simple privilege escalation or application crashes, as it enables full arbitrary code execution capabilities that can be leveraged for complete system compromise. Attackers can craft malicious Flash content or web pages that trigger the vulnerable code paths, potentially leading to remote code execution on targeted systems without user interaction. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where Flash content is frequently encountered, including corporate networks, web browsers, and mobile applications that utilize Adobe AIR for functionality. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability means that organizations must address security concerns across multiple operating systems and deployment scenarios, significantly increasing the attack surface and mitigation complexity.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including disabling Flash content in web browsers, updating to patched versions of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR, and deploying network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which describes the use of freed memory conditions that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and execution through malicious code injection, potentially enabling adversaries to establish persistent access through the exploited applications. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies and monitoring for unusual Flash-related memory access patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a use-after-free issue demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management practices in runtime environments and highlights the ongoing security challenges associated with legacy software platforms that continue to receive widespread use despite known security vulnerabilities.