CVE-2015-5117 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-2015-3136, CVE-2015-3137, CVE-2015-4428, and CVE-2015-4430.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/26/2024
The CVE-2015-5117 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments that affected multiple platform versions across Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which occurs when a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate the freed memory location for malicious purposes. The affected versions include 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, as well as Flash Player versions before 11.2.202.481 on Linux, along with corresponding Adobe AIR and AIR SDK versions. The vulnerability's significance lies in its potential to enable remote code execution when exploited, making it a prime target for cybercriminals seeking to compromise systems through malicious Flash content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability typically involves crafting malicious Flash content that triggers a specific memory management sequence where an object is freed from memory but references to that object persist in the application's memory space. Attackers can leverage this condition to overwrite the freed memory with malicious code, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the Flash Player process. The vulnerability's exploitation mechanism differs from other related CVEs such as CVE-2015-3118 through CVE-2015-4430, indicating a unique code path that requires specific conditions to be met for successful exploitation. This use-after-free condition can be triggered through various attack vectors including web-based exploitation, malicious email attachments, or compromised websites that deliver malicious Flash content to unsuspecting users.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-5117 extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it provides attackers with a pathway to establish persistent access to compromised systems. When successfully exploited, the vulnerability allows adversaries to execute arbitrary code in the context of the Flash Player application, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability's presence in Adobe AIR environments also increases the attack surface as AIR applications can be used to deliver malicious payloads through desktop applications. Organizations relying on Flash-based content for business operations face significant risk as this vulnerability could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data, establish backdoors, or deploy additional malware. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability means that organizations using Adobe Flash Player on Windows, macOS, or Linux systems require comprehensive security measures to protect against potential exploitation.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including prompt patching of affected Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR installations to address CVE-2015-5117. The recommended approach involves upgrading to patched versions of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR, specifically targeting the versions mentioned in the advisory that contain fixes for this vulnerability. Security administrators should also consider implementing network-based protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering solutions that can detect and block malicious Flash content. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected versions of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR, particularly focusing on environments where Flash content is frequently used. The mitigation strategy should align with established security frameworks including the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as exploitation of this vulnerability could enable attackers to establish persistent command execution capabilities. Regular monitoring and log analysis should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts, and security teams should maintain updated threat intelligence feeds to identify new attack vectors targeting this vulnerability.