CVE-2015-7635 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in 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 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-7629, CVE-2015-7631, CVE-2015-7636, CVE-2015-7637, CVE-2015-7638, CVE-2015-7639, CVE-2015-7640, CVE-2015-7641, CVE-2015-7642, CVE-2015-7643, and CVE-2015-7644.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2022
The CVE-2015-7635 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and related applications that fundamentally compromises system security through memory management errors. This vulnerability affects multiple versions of Adobe Flash Player across different operating systems including Windows, OS X, and Linux, as well as various versions of Adobe AIR and its SDK components. The flaw exists in the way these applications handle memory allocation and deallocation, creating opportunities for malicious actors to exploit the system through carefully crafted attack vectors that manipulate freed memory regions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the Flash Player runtime environment where objects are accessed after their memory has been freed and potentially reallocated. When a program frees memory but continues to reference that memory location, it creates a use-after-free condition that can be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary code. This particular vulnerability differs from several other related CVEs in the same year, indicating a distinct code path or memory handling pattern within the Flash Player codebase. The vulnerability operates at the memory management level, making it particularly dangerous as it can bypass many standard security protections and allow attackers to gain complete control over affected systems.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-7635 extends beyond simple code execution to encompass full system compromise capabilities. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can potentially install malware, steal sensitive data, or establish persistent backdoors on compromised systems. The widespread adoption of Adobe Flash Player across various platforms made this vulnerability particularly dangerous, as it could affect users across multiple operating environments. The vulnerability's exploitation requires no user interaction in many cases, making it a prime target for automated attacks and zero-day exploitation campaigns that could affect millions of users simultaneously.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software applications, and maps to several ATT&CK techniques including execution through malicious code injection and privilege escalation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management in runtime environments and highlights the risks associated with legacy software components that receive limited security updates. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems and implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing application whitelisting policies and restricting Flash Player execution in enterprise environments until comprehensive security measures can be deployed to mitigate the risk of exploitation.