CVE-2015-8425 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-2015-8066, 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-2015-8426, 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.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/10/2024
The CVE-2015-8425 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime environments that affects multiple platform versions across Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. This vulnerability falls under the broader category of memory corruption issues and is classified as a CWE-416: Use After Free, which occurs when a program continues to access memory after it has been freed, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The affected versions include 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, alongside various Adobe AIR and AIR SDK versions. The vulnerability operates through unspecified attack vectors that differ from numerous other related CVEs in the same year, indicating a distinct exploitation pathway that requires careful analysis of the underlying memory management mechanisms within Adobe's runtime environment.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability typically involves crafting malicious Flash content that triggers a specific sequence of memory operations causing a use-after-free condition in the Flash Player's memory management system. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The attack surface is particularly wide given Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise and consumer environments, making it an attractive target for attackers seeking to establish persistent access to systems. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple code execution as it can be combined with other techniques to bypass security mitigations such as DEP and ASLR, creating a more dangerous attack scenario. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007: Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic and T1078.004: Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts, as attackers can leverage compromised Flash processes to execute further malicious activities.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-8425 is substantial, particularly in enterprise environments where Flash Player remains widely deployed for legacy applications and web content delivery. Organizations using affected versions face significant risk of successful exploitation, especially when users interact with untrusted web content or documents containing malicious Flash elements. The vulnerability's exploitation typically requires user interaction through web browsers or applications that embed Flash content, making social engineering attacks particularly effective. Security teams must consider the broad attack surface of this vulnerability, as it affects multiple versions and platforms, requiring comprehensive patch management across all affected systems. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution flaw means that attackers can exploit it without requiring local access, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where users regularly browse the internet or access enterprise web applications. Organizations implementing security controls should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems, as the vulnerability has been actively exploited in the wild, with threat actors leveraging its capabilities to establish persistent backdoors and execute malicious payloads. The remediation process requires careful coordination across multiple platforms and versions, as the specific patch versions vary between operating systems and Adobe product variants, making comprehensive vulnerability management essential for effective defense.