CVE-2015-4431 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 attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3117, CVE-2015-3123, CVE-2015-3130, CVE-2015-3133, and CVE-2015-3134.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2022
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR products contain a memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution and denial of service attacks through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability affects multiple versions across different operating systems including Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms. The flaw exists in the way these applications handle memory operations during processing of malicious content, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory structures and potentially execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects both the standalone Flash Player runtime and the Adobe AIR application runtime, extending the attack surface significantly.
The technical nature of this memory corruption vulnerability aligns with common software security weaknesses documented in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, specifically mapping to CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions. These weaknesses typically arise from insufficient bounds checking in memory management operations and can be exploited through various attack techniques including buffer overflows, heap corruption, or use-after-free scenarios. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution flaw places it within the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter, as attackers can leverage the memory corruption to execute malicious payloads. The specific nature of the vulnerability suggests that attackers can manipulate memory structures through crafted input or malicious web content, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple deployment scenarios and user environments. Organizations using Adobe Flash Player or Adobe AIR in their enterprise environments face significant risk, particularly in environments where users regularly access untrusted web content or where the applications are used to process external data. The vulnerability affects not just end-user systems but also development environments that utilize Adobe AIR SDKs, creating additional attack vectors for threat actors targeting software development workflows. The memory corruption aspect makes this particularly dangerous as it can lead to unpredictable application behavior, system crashes, or complete system compromise depending on the exploitation method used. The fact that this vulnerability affects multiple version ranges and operating systems means that comprehensive patch management becomes critical for effective defense.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected software versions, as Adobe released security updates addressing this specific memory corruption issue. Organizations should implement network-based controls including web application firewalls and content filtering solutions to prevent access to known malicious content. The principle of least privilege should be applied to limit the impact of potential exploitation, ensuring that Flash Player and AIR applications run with minimal necessary permissions. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual memory access patterns and potential exploitation attempts, while endpoint protection solutions should be configured to block execution of malicious code in memory. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing Adobe AIR application whitelisting and Flash Player sandboxing configurations to reduce the attack surface. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining unpatched systems and ensure comprehensive protection against similar memory corruption vulnerabilities in the future.