CVE-2015-3136 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in 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 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3118, CVE-2015-3124, CVE-2015-3127, CVE-2015-3128, CVE-2015-3129, CVE-2015-3131, CVE-2015-3132, CVE-2015-3137, CVE-2015-4428, CVE-2015-4430, and CVE-2015-5117.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/26/2024
The CVE-2015-3136 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments that existed across multiple platform versions and release cycles. This vulnerability specifically affects Flash Player versions prior to 13.0.0.302 and 14.x through 18.x before 18.0.0.203 on Windows and OS X systems, while also impacting Linux versions before 11.2.202.481. The flaw extends to Adobe AIR runtime environments and their corresponding SDKs, with the same version constraints applying to the software development kits. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-416 indicates a direct violation of memory management principles where freed memory locations are accessed after being deallocated, creating potential exploitation opportunities for malicious actors.
The technical execution of this vulnerability occurs through unspecified attack vectors that leverage the fundamental memory management error within Adobe's runtime environment. When Flash Player or AIR processes certain multimedia content or executes specific code sequences, the application fails to properly manage object references, leading to a scenario where memory allocated to objects becomes freed but subsequent code operations attempt to access that same memory space. This particular flaw operates independently from other related vulnerabilities such as CVE-2015-3118 through CVE-2015-5117, indicating a distinct code path and exploitation methodology that requires separate mitigation strategies. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions across different operating systems demonstrates a widespread issue within Adobe's Flash runtime infrastructure that affected a broad user base.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-3136 poses significant security risks to organizations and individual users who relied on Flash-based content for web browsing, multimedia applications, and enterprise software. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user, leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or establishment of persistent backdoors. The nature of Flash Player's integration with web browsers and its widespread deployment across corporate and personal environments made this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it provided multiple attack surfaces for malicious actors. The vulnerability's potential for remote code execution without user interaction, combined with Flash's prevalence in enterprise environments, created a substantial risk profile that required immediate attention from security professionals.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2015-3136, beginning with immediate patch deployment for all affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR installations. The recommended mitigation strategy involves updating to patched versions of Adobe Flash Player 13.0.0.302 or later, 18.0.0.203 or later, and corresponding Adobe AIR versions 18.0.0.180 or later. System administrators should consider disabling Flash Player entirely in environments where it is not strictly required, as this represents the most effective immediate protective measure. Network-based defenses including web application firewalls and content filtering solutions can help reduce exposure by blocking Flash content at the network perimeter, though this approach provides only partial protection given the vulnerability's potential for exploitation through various attack vectors. Security teams should also monitor for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability, particularly unusual process execution patterns or network connections that may indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining awareness of the ATT&CK framework's relevance to Flash-based exploitation techniques that leverage memory corruption vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms.