CVE-2015-5572 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 bypass intended access restrictions and obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2022
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 18.0.0.241 and 19.x prior to 19.0.0.185 on Windows and OS X platforms, along with versions before 11.2.202.521 on Linux, as well as Adobe AIR versions before 19.0.0.190 including corresponding SDK and Compiler versions, contained a critical vulnerability that enabled attackers to circumvent intended access controls and extract sensitive information through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability represents a significant security flaw that undermines the fundamental access control mechanisms implemented within Adobe's runtime environments. The flaw allows unauthorized data access that could potentially expose confidential information, user credentials, or system resources that should remain protected. The vulnerability's impact extends across multiple platforms and versions, indicating a systemic issue within the software architecture rather than an isolated incident. This type of access bypass vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to protected resources without proper authentication or authorization.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves weaknesses in the access control implementation within Adobe Flash Player and AIR runtime environments, which are categorized under CWE-284 Access Control. The unspecified vectors suggest that attackers could exploit multiple pathways to achieve the access bypass, potentially including memory corruption issues, improper privilege handling, or flawed security checks within the runtime. This vulnerability directly relates to the principle of least privilege and proper access control enforcement that should be maintained by all software components. The flaw likely stems from inadequate validation of access permissions or improper handling of security contexts within the Flash Player and AIR execution environments. The vulnerability's presence in both desktop and mobile runtime environments indicates a comprehensive breakdown in the security model implementation across Adobe's platform ecosystem.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it allows attackers to obtain sensitive information that could include user data, system configurations, or application-specific resources. The vulnerability affects a wide range of applications that depend on Flash Player or AIR runtime environments, potentially compromising numerous enterprise and consumer applications. Organizations utilizing Adobe Flash-based applications face increased risk of data breaches, information disclosure, and potential system compromise. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions and platforms means that remediation requires comprehensive patch management across all affected systems. This vulnerability could enable attackers to perform reconnaissance activities, gather intelligence about system configurations, or extract sensitive data that could be used for further attacks. The potential for privilege escalation or lateral movement within compromised systems increases the overall risk profile significantly.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of all affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR runtime versions across all supported platforms. Organizations should implement comprehensive vulnerability management processes to identify and remediate all instances of affected software. Security teams should conduct thorough assessments of their environments to ensure complete remediation across all systems and applications that utilize Flash Player or AIR. Network segmentation and access controls should be reinforced to limit potential lateral movement if exploitation occurs. The implementation of application whitelisting policies can help prevent execution of unpatched versions. Regular security audits should verify that all Adobe runtime components have been updated to secure versions. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures for handling such security events. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and highlights the risks associated with legacy software environments that may not receive continued support or updates.