CVE-2015-5568 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.241 and 19.x before 19.0.0.185 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.521 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 19.0.0.190, Adobe AIR SDK before 19.0.0.190, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 19.0.0.190 allow attackers to cause a denial of service (vector-length corruption) or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/14/2025
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 18.0.0.241 on Windows and OS X, and before 11.2.202.521 on Linux, along with Adobe AIR versions before 19.0.0.190 and corresponding SDK versions, contained a critical vulnerability classified as CVE-2015-5568 that exposed systems to potential denial of service attacks and unspecified security impacts. This vulnerability stemmed from improper handling of vector length parameters within the Flash Player runtime environment, creating a condition where maliciously crafted Flash content could trigger memory corruption issues. The flaw represented a classic buffer over-read scenario where the application failed to properly validate input data structures, particularly those related to vector operations in the multimedia framework. The vulnerability was particularly dangerous because it could be exploited through web browsers or standalone Flash applications, making it accessible to attackers without requiring specialized privileges or local system access. The vector-length corruption issue typically manifested when Flash Player attempted to process malformed vector data structures, potentially leading to memory corruption that could result in application crashes or in more severe cases, arbitrary code execution. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a common attack surface in multimedia processing frameworks. From an operational perspective, the impact was significant as Flash Player was widely deployed across enterprise environments and consumer systems, making the vulnerability a prime target for exploitation in targeted attacks. The vulnerability could be leveraged to cause persistent denial of service conditions, effectively rendering Flash-based applications and browser plugins unusable, which disrupted normal business operations and user productivity. The exploitability of this vulnerability was enhanced by the fact that Flash Player was often enabled by default in web browsers, creating an attack surface that required minimal user interaction for exploitation. Security researchers noted that the vulnerability could potentially be chained with other exploits to achieve more sophisticated attack objectives, making it particularly concerning from a threat intelligence standpoint. The affected versions represented a substantial portion of deployed Flash Player installations, meaning that organizations with legacy systems were particularly vulnerable. This vulnerability also highlighted the broader security challenges associated with rich media frameworks and their complex processing pipelines, which often contain numerous attack vectors due to the extensive data manipulation required for multimedia content rendering.
The technical nature of CVE-2015-5568 demonstrates how seemingly minor input validation flaws in multimedia processing can have far-reaching security implications. The vulnerability exploited a fundamental weakness in how Flash Player handled vector data structures, specifically when processing array-based data that exceeded expected boundaries. This type of flaw typically occurs in applications that perform dynamic memory allocation and data structure manipulation without adequate bounds checking. The vector-length corruption could potentially lead to memory corruption that might be leveraged for privilege escalation or code execution, though the primary impact was documented as denial of service. The vulnerability was particularly concerning because it could be triggered through web-based attacks, where users might unknowingly visit malicious websites containing compromised Flash content. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability provided a reliable means of causing system instability and service disruption, which could be used for both disruptive attacks and as a precursor to more sophisticated exploitation techniques. The vulnerability's presence in multiple platform versions indicated that it was likely a core architectural issue within the Flash Player codebase rather than a platform-specific implementation flaw. Security analysts classified this vulnerability as having high severity due to its potential for widespread exploitation and the difficulty in mitigating it without immediate patching. The vulnerability also underscored the risks associated with long-running software applications that accumulate complex codebases over time, where legacy code paths can introduce unexpected security weaknesses.
Organizations affected by CVE-2015-5568 faced significant operational challenges in addressing the vulnerability, particularly given the widespread deployment of Flash Player across enterprise environments. The remediation process required coordinated patch management efforts across multiple platforms and software versions, including both the Flash Player runtime and the AIR development frameworks. Security teams needed to implement immediate mitigations while planning for full patch deployment, as the vulnerability could be exploited in the wild with relatively simple attack vectors. The affected software versions were commonly found in business-critical applications, including content management systems, digital signage solutions, and enterprise collaboration platforms that relied heavily on Flash-based functionality. Organizations that had not migrated away from Flash technology were particularly vulnerable, as the patching process required careful testing to ensure that existing applications continued to function properly. The vulnerability also highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and the risks associated with running deprecated software components. From an incident response perspective, security teams needed to monitor for exploitation attempts and implement network-level protections to prevent access to known malicious Flash content. The vulnerability's exploitation could be detected through network traffic analysis, particularly when examining web requests for Flash content from compromised sources. Organizations implementing security controls needed to consider the broader attack surface that Flash Player represented, including its integration with web browsers and other applications that might execute Flash content. The vulnerability also demonstrated the importance of application whitelisting and browser security policies that could prevent execution of untrusted Flash content, providing additional layers of protection beyond traditional patch management approaches. Security professionals noted that the vulnerability's characteristics aligned with common attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly in the areas of privilege escalation and defense evasion through exploitation of runtime vulnerabilities. The incident also emphasized the need for comprehensive vulnerability assessment procedures that could identify and prioritize risks in legacy software components that continued to be deployed in production environments.