CVE-2015-8452 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-2015-8425, 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, and CVE-2015-8454.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/09/2024
The CVE-2015-8452 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR platforms that existed across multiple versions and operating systems. This vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption issues and specifically manifests as a use-after-free condition that occurs when the application attempts to access memory that has already been freed. The flaw affects Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 18.0.0.268 and 19.x and 20.x before 20.0.0.228 on Windows and OS X platforms, while also impacting Adobe AIR versions before 20.0.0.204 and related SDKs across all supported platforms. The vulnerability operates through unspecified attack vectors that differ from numerous other related vulnerabilities, indicating a distinct exploitation pathway within the Flash Player runtime environment. This issue is particularly concerning as it allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems, making it a prime target for exploitation in zero-day attacks and advanced persistent threat campaigns.
The technical nature of CVE-2015-8452 stems from improper memory management within the Flash Player runtime engine, where objects are freed from memory but references to them persist, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate the freed memory location. When the application attempts to access this freed memory, it can result in unpredictable behavior that attackers can leverage to inject and execute malicious code. The vulnerability's exploitation requires sophisticated techniques that take advantage of the specific memory layout and execution flow within the Flash Player environment. According to CWE standards, this vulnerability maps to CWE-416 which specifically addresses the use of freed memory condition, while also relating to CWE-122 which covers heap-based buffer overflow conditions. The attack surface is particularly broad given that Flash Player was widely deployed across Windows, macOS, and Linux environments, making this vulnerability highly impactful for attackers seeking to compromise diverse target populations.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-8452 extends beyond simple code execution, as it represents a significant threat to enterprise security infrastructure and user safety. The vulnerability's presence in Adobe AIR platforms also affects desktop applications built using these frameworks, creating a cascading effect where legitimate applications become potential attack vectors. This flaw particularly affects organizations that still maintain legacy Flash content or applications, as the vulnerability can be exploited through web browsers or embedded Flash content within AIR applications. The attack vectors typically involve malicious web pages or documents that trigger the vulnerable Flash Player functionality, often through social engineering or drive-by download techniques. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving exploitation of known vulnerabilities and privilege escalation, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent access to compromised systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-8452 require immediate patching of affected Adobe Flash Player and AIR installations across all supported platforms. Organizations should prioritize updating to the latest versions of Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, and their respective SDKs, ensuring that all systems are protected against this specific use-after-free vulnerability. Security administrators should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider deploying web application firewalls or content filtering solutions to block malicious Flash content. The vulnerability's nature makes it particularly susceptible to automated exploitation, so organizations should also consider disabling Flash Player in web browsers where possible or using sandboxing techniques to limit potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include checks for the presence of vulnerable Flash Player versions, while incident response procedures should be updated to address potential exploitation of this specific vulnerability through the use of memory corruption attack techniques.