CVE-2015-5546 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.232 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.508 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 18.0.0.199, Adobe AIR SDK before 18.0.0.199, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 18.0.0.199 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5544, CVE-2015-5545, CVE-2015-5547, CVE-2015-5548, CVE-2015-5549, CVE-2015-5552, and CVE-2015-5553.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/04/2024
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 18.0.0.232 on Windows and OS X platforms, and before 11.2.202.508 on Linux systems, along with Adobe AIR versions before 18.0.0.199 and corresponding SDK versions, contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution attacks. This vulnerability specifically affected the handling of certain data structures within the Flash Player runtime environment, creating exploitable conditions that could be leveraged by malicious actors to gain unauthorized system access. The flaw manifested through unspecified attack vectors that differed from other related vulnerabilities in the same vulnerability family, making it particularly challenging to detect and mitigate. The memory corruption aspect of this vulnerability allowed attackers to manipulate heap memory structures, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or system crashes. The vulnerability's impact was significant given Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise networks and consumer systems, making it a prime target for exploit development. Security researchers identified this issue as part of a broader pattern of memory safety vulnerabilities in Adobe's multimedia runtime environment, with the specific flaw relating to improper memory management during object allocation and deallocation processes. The vulnerability's classification aligns with common weakness enumeration CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represented a severe threat to organizations relying on Flash-based applications, as exploitation could result in complete system compromise. The attack surface was particularly broad due to Flash Player's integration with web browsers and desktop applications, enabling attackers to deliver malicious content through various vectors including malicious websites, email attachments, and compromised web applications. This vulnerability demonstrated the persistent security challenges associated with legacy multimedia frameworks and highlighted the importance of timely patch management for widely deployed software components. The exploitation of this vulnerability typically required a user to interact with malicious content, making social engineering a critical factor in successful attacks. Organizations implementing security controls needed to consider both network-based detection mechanisms and endpoint protection strategies to defend against potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's impact extended beyond individual system compromise to include potential data breaches and lateral movement within network environments, as attackers could establish persistent access through successful exploitation of this memory corruption flaw.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stemmed from improper memory management within Adobe's Flash Player runtime, where specific data structures were not adequately validated before memory allocation or deallocation operations. Attackers could manipulate input data to trigger buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions, creating opportunities for code execution within the context of the Flash Player process. The vulnerability's exploitation required precise control over memory layout and execution flow, making it suitable for advanced persistent threat actors who could develop sophisticated exploitation techniques. This type of memory corruption vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through normal user interactions with web content, eliminating the need for specialized attack infrastructure. The vulnerability's characteristics aligned with ATT&CK framework technique T1059.007, which covers PowerShell command execution, and T1068, which addresses exploit for privilege escalation. The affected platforms included multiple operating systems, with Windows and OS X being particularly vulnerable due to their widespread use in enterprise environments. Linux deployments were also affected, though the specific version numbers indicated a more targeted impact on certain release streams. The vulnerability's existence demonstrated the ongoing challenges in maintaining security for legacy software components, particularly those with complex runtime environments and extensive codebases. Adobe's response to this vulnerability involved releasing patches that addressed the underlying memory management issues, though the timeframe between vulnerability disclosure and patch availability created exposure windows for potential attackers. Organizations needed to implement comprehensive patch management processes to address this vulnerability and similar memory corruption issues in their software ecosystems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate action from system administrators and security teams to deploy available patches and updates from Adobe's security advisories. Organizations should have implemented network segmentation and application whitelisting to limit Flash Player's execution capabilities, particularly in environments where Flash content was not essential for business operations. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust vulnerability management processes that could identify and remediate similar issues across the entire software portfolio. Security monitoring systems needed to be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts through anomalous memory access patterns or unusual network behavior associated with Flash Player. The vulnerability's exploitation often involved the use of exploit frameworks that could leverage multiple attack vectors, making comprehensive network security controls essential for defense-in-depth strategies. Organizations should have considered the broader implications of continuing to support Flash Player, given the frequency of security vulnerabilities and the platform's declining usage in modern web environments. The incident underscored the critical importance of maintaining software inventory awareness and implementing automated vulnerability scanning processes to identify unpatched systems. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability demonstrated the necessity of adhering to security standards such as NIST SP 800-128 and ISO 27001 requirements for vulnerability management and incident response. The vulnerability also emphasized the need for regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar memory corruption issues in other software components. Organizations needed to develop incident response procedures specifically tailored to address Flash Player-related security incidents, including forensic analysis capabilities for investigating exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's resolution required not only patch deployment but also ongoing monitoring to ensure that exploitation attempts were detected and mitigated through network-based security controls and endpoint protection mechanisms.