CVE-2015-7638 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-2015-7635, CVE-2015-7636, CVE-2015-7637, 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-2015-7638 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments that affected multiple platform versions across Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. This vulnerability specifically impacts Flash Player versions prior to 18.0.0.252 and 19.x prior to 19.0.0.207 on Windows and OS X, and versions prior to 11.2.202.535 on Linux. Additionally, Adobe AIR versions before 19.0.0.213 and corresponding SDK versions were also affected, making this a widespread issue across Adobe's multimedia runtime ecosystem. The vulnerability operates through unspecified attack vectors that distinguish it from several other related vulnerabilities in the same advisory cycle, including CVE-2015-7629 through CVE-2015-7644, indicating a unique exploitation pathway that required separate remediation efforts.
The technical nature of this use-after-free vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the Flash Player runtime where freed memory blocks are still accessible to the application after being deallocated. This condition occurs when the application continues to reference memory locations that have been released back to the system heap, creating a scenario where attackers can manipulate the freed memory to inject and execute malicious code. The flaw typically arises during object destruction sequences where the Flash Player's ActionScript runtime fails to properly invalidate references to objects that have been removed from memory, allowing for potential memory corruption that can be exploited through carefully crafted malicious SWF files or web content. This memory management error falls under the CWE-416 identifier for use-after-free conditions, which represents a well-documented class of vulnerabilities that frequently lead to arbitrary code execution exploits.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-7638 is severe and multifaceted, as it provides attackers with a direct path to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems without requiring user interaction beyond visiting malicious websites or opening compromised Flash content. The vulnerability's exploitation potential extends across multiple platforms, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where diverse operating systems coexist. Attackers could leverage this flaw to gain complete system control, install malware, steal sensitive data, or establish persistent backdoors through the execution of malicious code within the Flash Player context. The vulnerability's presence in both Flash Player and AIR runtime environments means that applications built using these platforms were at risk, including web-based applications, desktop applications, and mobile applications that utilized Adobe's runtime technologies. Security researchers noted that the exploitability of this vulnerability was high due to the widespread adoption of Flash Player across browsers and the relatively simple nature of the attack vector that required only the delivery of malicious content to the vulnerable runtime environment.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-7638 focused primarily on immediate patching and system hardening measures to protect against exploitation. Adobe released security updates for all affected versions of Flash Player and AIR runtime environments, with the recommended solution being the immediate installation of patches for versions 18.0.0.252 and 19.0.0.207 on Windows and OS X, and 11.2.202.535 on Linux. Organizations were advised to implement network-level controls to block Flash content delivery and disable Flash Player plugins in web browsers where possible. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would place it within the T1059.007 technique for command and scripting interpreter, specifically through the use of Flash-based malicious payloads that leverage runtime vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code. Additional defensive measures included implementing application whitelisting policies, deploying endpoint protection solutions with behavioral monitoring capabilities, and conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify systems running outdated Flash Player versions. The remediation process required careful coordination across IT departments and security teams, as the widespread deployment of Flash Player across enterprise environments meant that patching efforts needed to balance security requirements with business continuity considerations.