CVE-2015-8066 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.268 and 19.x and 20.x before 20.0.0.228 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.554 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 20.0.0.204, Adobe AIR SDK before 20.0.0.204, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 20.0.0.204 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-8048, CVE-2015-8049, CVE-2015-8050, CVE-2015-8055, CVE-2015-8056, CVE-2015-8057, CVE-2015-8058, CVE-2015-8059, CVE-2015-8061, CVE-2015-8062, CVE-2015-8063, CVE-2015-8064, CVE-2015-8065, CVE-2015-8067, CVE-2015-8068, CVE-2015-8069, CVE-2015-8070, CVE-2015-8071, CVE-2015-8401, CVE-2015-8402, CVE-2015-8403, CVE-2015-8404, CVE-2015-8405, CVE-2015-8406, CVE-2015-8410, CVE-2015-8411, CVE-2015-8412, CVE-2015-8413, CVE-2015-8414, CVE-2015-8420, CVE-2015-8421, CVE-2015-8422, CVE-2015-8423, CVE-2015-8424, CVE-2015-8425, CVE-2015-8426, CVE-2015-8427, CVE-2015-8428, CVE-2015-8429, CVE-2015-8430, CVE-2015-8431, CVE-2015-8432, CVE-2015-8433, CVE-2015-8434, CVE-2015-8435, CVE-2015-8436, CVE-2015-8437, CVE-2015-8441, CVE-2015-8442, CVE-2015-8447, CVE-2015-8448, CVE-2015-8449, CVE-2015-8450, CVE-2015-8452, and CVE-2015-8454.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2022
The CVE-2015-8066 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and related software components that emerged in 2015. This vulnerability specifically affects versions prior to 18.0.0.268 for Flash Player on Windows and OS X, and before 11.2.202.554 on Linux, along with affected Adobe AIR and AIR SDK versions. The flaw falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, where memory that has been freed is still accessed by the application, creating potential exploitation opportunities. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems, making it a prime target for malicious exploitation in real-world scenarios.
The technical implementation of this use-after-free vulnerability occurs when Flash Player processes certain multimedia content or handles specific memory operations that result in objects being freed from memory while still referenced elsewhere in the application's execution flow. This memory management error creates a window where malicious code can manipulate the freed memory location to redirect execution flow or inject malicious payloads. The vulnerability manifests across multiple platforms and software variants, demonstrating the widespread nature of the flaw in Adobe's multimedia runtime environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through various attack vectors including malicious web pages, infected media files, or compromised websites that trigger the vulnerable Flash Player code path.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-8066 extends beyond simple code execution to encompass full system compromise capabilities, as demonstrated by numerous exploitation reports in the wild. When successfully exploited, this vulnerability enables attackers to gain complete control over affected systems, potentially leading to data theft, system monitoring, or further lateral movement within network environments. The vulnerability's presence in widely deployed software components like Flash Player and AIR makes it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where these technologies are commonly used for web content delivery and application deployment. Security researchers have mapped this vulnerability to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic, as attackers often leverage the arbitrary code execution capabilities to deploy additional payloads or establish persistence mechanisms.
Organizations affected by CVE-2015-8066 must implement immediate mitigation strategies to protect their systems from exploitation. The primary recommendation involves updating all affected Adobe Flash Player installations to versions 18.0.0.268 or later, and Adobe AIR installations to 20.0.0.204 or later across all supported platforms. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing browser security measures such as disabling Flash Player plugins entirely, as Flash Player has been deprecated by Adobe and continues to pose significant security risks. The vulnerability's classification as a use-after-free flaw makes it particularly susceptible to exploitation through heap spraying techniques and other advanced memory corruption methods, which further emphasizes the need for immediate remediation. Security teams should also monitor for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability and implement appropriate network segmentation measures to limit potential attack surface exposure.