CVE-2015-5550 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in 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 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5127, CVE-2015-5130, CVE-2015-5134, CVE-2015-5539, CVE-2015-5540, CVE-2015-5551, CVE-2015-5556, CVE-2015-5557, CVE-2015-5559, CVE-2015-5561, CVE-2015-5563, CVE-2015-5564, and CVE-2015-5565.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2024
The CVE-2015-5550 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments that affected multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. This vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the Flash Player runtime, specifically when handling certain object references that become invalid after their associated memory has been freed. The flaw manifests when the application attempts to access memory that has already been deallocated, creating a condition where attackers can manipulate the memory layout to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the memory management level, making it difficult to detect and exploit through conventional security measures, and it affects a wide range of Adobe products including the standalone Flash Player, Adobe AIR runtime, and corresponding SDKs.
The technical implementation of this use-after-free vulnerability involves the exploitation of a specific code path where Flash Player processes certain multimedia content or ActionScript objects that trigger memory deallocation without proper reference invalidation. When the application later attempts to access these freed memory locations, it can be manipulated to redirect execution flow through controlled memory content, enabling attackers to inject and execute malicious code. This particular vulnerability differs from other related CVEs in the same year series because it targets a distinct memory management flaw within the Flash Player's object lifecycle management system, specifically affecting how the player handles reference counting and object destruction sequences. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for operating system command and scripting interface, as exploitation typically involves executing malicious code through the compromised Flash Player process.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-5550 extends beyond simple code execution, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for privilege escalation and persistent access within compromised systems. Attackers typically craft malicious Flash content or HTML pages that trigger the vulnerable code path when viewed in affected browsers or applications, leading to remote code execution that can be used for data exfiltration, system compromise, or deployment of additional malware. The widespread adoption of Flash Player across various platforms made this vulnerability particularly dangerous, as it could be exploited across different operating systems and environments, creating a significant attack surface that security professionals had to address through immediate patching and mitigation strategies. Organizations that had not yet migrated away from Flash-based content were particularly vulnerable to this type of exploitation, as the vulnerability could be triggered through standard web browsing activities without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-5550 focused primarily on immediate patch deployment and runtime security measures. Adobe released security updates for all affected versions of Flash Player, AIR, and SDKs, with the most critical patches addressing the specific memory management flaw. Security administrators implemented browser security policies that disabled Flash content by default, deployed application whitelisting solutions to prevent execution of untrusted Flash content, and configured network-level protections to block suspicious Flash-related traffic. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing layered defense strategies, as the use-after-free nature of the flaw made it particularly resistant to traditional antivirus and intrusion detection system protections. Organizations also began implementing more rigorous security testing procedures for Flash content and began transitioning away from Flash-based applications to more secure modern web technologies, reducing their overall attack surface and dependency on potentially vulnerable legacy components.