CVE-2015-5554 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 by leveraging an unspecified "type confusion," a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5555, CVE-2015-5558, and CVE-2015-5562.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/04/2024
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR versions prior to specific patched releases contain a critical type confusion vulnerability that enables remote code execution attacks. This vulnerability exists in the way these applications handle object types during runtime operations, creating opportunities for malicious actors to manipulate memory structures and execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The flaw specifically affects Windows and OS X installations of Flash Player versions before 18.0.0.232, as well as Linux installations before 11.2.202.508, along with all affected Adobe AIR versions and SDK releases before 18.0.0.199.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper type handling within the Flash Player runtime environment, where objects are not properly validated before operations are performed on them. This type confusion allows attackers to corrupt memory layouts and manipulate object pointers, ultimately enabling code execution. The vulnerability operates at a low level within the application's memory management system, making it particularly dangerous as it can bypass many traditional security controls. Attackers can craft malicious SWF files or web content that, when processed by the vulnerable software, triggers the type confusion condition and executes attacker-controlled code with the privileges of the Flash Player process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows remote attackers to gain complete control over affected systems without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website or opening a specially crafted file. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may inadvertently encounter malicious content through web browsing or email attachments. The vulnerability affects not just end-user systems but also development environments where Adobe AIR SDKs are used, creating additional attack surface for potential exploitation. Organizations running these vulnerable versions face significant risk of data breaches, system compromise, and potential lateral movement within networks.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate patching and updating of all affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR installations. System administrators should prioritize deployment of the latest versions from Adobe's security advisories, ensuring that both runtime environments and development SDKs are updated. Network-based protections such as content filtering and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of defense, though they cannot fully compensate for the lack of proper software updates. Organizations should also implement monitoring for suspicious network traffic patterns and consider temporary disabling of Flash content in browsers until full patches are deployed. This vulnerability aligns with attack patterns described in the attack tree methodology, particularly focusing on privilege escalation and code execution vectors that are commonly exploited in enterprise security incidents. The CWE classification for this issue would be CWE-476 which specifically addresses NULL pointer dereferences and similar memory corruption issues that can lead to type confusion vulnerabilities.