CVE-2015-7627 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.252 and 19.x before 19.0.0.207 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.535 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 19.0.0.213, Adobe AIR SDK before 19.0.0.213, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 19.0.0.213 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-7625, CVE-2015-7626, CVE-2015-7630, CVE-2015-7633, and CVE-2015-7634.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/21/2022
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability affected multiple versions across different operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. The flaw existed in the way these applications handled certain memory operations during processing of malicious content, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory structures and execute arbitrary code on affected systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under memory corruption issues that typically arise from improper handling of memory allocation, deallocation, or access patterns within software applications. Attackers could exploit this weakness by crafting malicious Flash content or AIR applications that would trigger the memory corruption when processed by the vulnerable runtime environments. The vulnerability was distinct from several other related issues in the same timeframe, indicating a separate code path or memory handling mechanism that was susceptible to exploitation.
This vulnerability represented a significant threat to enterprise and individual users who relied on Adobe Flash Player for web content delivery and Adobe AIR for desktop application execution. The impact extended beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise and unauthorized code execution. The memory corruption aspect meant that attackers could potentially overwrite critical memory locations, manipulate program execution flow, and gain elevated privileges on target systems. The vulnerability affected both the standalone Flash Player runtime and the AIR development environments, creating a broad attack surface.
Organizations and users needed to implement immediate remediation measures by updating to the patched versions of Adobe Flash Player and AIR runtime environments. The specific patched versions included Flash Player 18.0.0.252 and 19.x 19.0.0.207 for Windows and OS X, and 11.2.202.535 for Linux, along with corresponding AIR updates. System administrators should have prioritized patch deployment across all affected systems while monitoring for potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrated the ongoing security challenges associated with legacy multimedia runtime environments and highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date software components. This issue aligned with common attack patterns documented in the attack framework, where memory corruption vulnerabilities represent persistent threats that require careful patch management and system hardening approaches. The vulnerability also underscored the risks associated with running outdated software components that continue to receive limited security support, emphasizing the need for comprehensive software lifecycle management strategies.