CVE-2015-3115 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.302 and 14.x through 18.x before 18.0.0.203 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.481 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 18.0.0.180, Adobe AIR SDK before 18.0.0.180, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 18.0.0.180 allow remote attackers to bypass the Same Origin Policy via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-0578, CVE-2015-3116, CVE-2015-3125, and CVE-2015-5116.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/23/2022
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR suffered from a critical security vulnerability that enabled remote attackers to circumvent the Same Origin Policy mechanism, a fundamental web security principle that restricts how content from one origin can access resources from another origin. This vulnerability affected multiple versions across different platforms including Windows, OS X, and Linux operating systems, with specific version ranges indicating the scope of impacted software. The flaw permitted attackers to bypass security boundaries that normally prevent malicious code from accessing sensitive data or resources on different domains, creating a significant risk for web applications and user data protection. The vulnerability was distinct from several other related issues including CVE-2014-0578, CVE-2015-3125, and CVE-2015-5116, indicating it represented a unique attack vector rather than a variant of previously discovered flaws.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploited weaknesses in Flash Player's security model, allowing attackers to perform cross-origin requests that should have been blocked by the browser's security policies. This bypass mechanism enabled malicious actors to access data from different domains without proper authorization, potentially compromising user privacy and system integrity. The vulnerability's impact was particularly severe because it affected not only the core Flash Player runtime but also Adobe AIR applications and development tools, expanding the potential attack surface significantly. Security researchers classified this issue as a privilege escalation vulnerability that could be leveraged to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, making it a prime target for advanced persistent threats and sophisticated attack campaigns. The flaw represented a critical weakness in Adobe's security architecture that undermined the fundamental security assumptions of web applications using Flash-based content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extended beyond simple data theft to include potential system compromise and persistent access to user environments. Attackers could leverage this flaw to perform reconnaissance activities, gather sensitive information from multiple domains, and potentially establish footholds within target networks. The vulnerability affected users across multiple platforms, making it particularly dangerous as it could be exploited regardless of the operating system in use. Organizations relying on Flash-based applications faced significant risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to their web properties. The widespread adoption of Flash Player across enterprise environments meant that this vulnerability could have cascading effects throughout organizations, potentially enabling attackers to access multiple systems and applications that relied on Flash for functionality. This vulnerability also demonstrated the inherent risks of rich media applications that operate with elevated privileges and access to system resources.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR installations across all supported platforms. Organizations needed to implement comprehensive security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and ensure that all systems were updated to the latest secure versions. Security teams should have deployed network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts and implemented application whitelisting policies to prevent execution of vulnerable Flash content. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that reduce reliance on potentially vulnerable technologies. Organizations were advised to phase out Flash-based content in favor of more secure modern web standards and to implement strict access controls for applications that required Flash functionality. This vulnerability also underscored the need for continuous security assessments and the importance of understanding the attack surface presented by legacy applications and runtime environments that continue to be used in enterprise environments. The issue was categorized under CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and could be mapped to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms.