CVE-2015-8453 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
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 allow attackers to bypass the ASLR protection mechanism via JIT data, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-8409 and CVE-2015-8440.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2022
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR products contained a critical vulnerability that enabled attackers to bypass Address Space Layout Randomization protections through Just-In-Time compilation data manipulation. This vulnerability specifically targeted the memory layout randomization mechanisms that are fundamental security controls designed to prevent exploitation of memory corruption flaws by making it difficult for attackers to predict memory addresses. The flaw existed in multiple product versions across different operating systems including Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms, with distinct affected version ranges for each. The vulnerability exploited the way JIT compilers handle memory allocation and data structures during runtime execution, allowing malicious actors to predict memory layout patterns that should have been randomized by ASLR.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involved manipulating the JIT compilation process to extract information about memory addresses that would normally be randomized. Attackers could leverage this information to defeat ASLR protections that are essential for preventing successful exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities. This represents a sophisticated bypass technique that operates at the intersection of compiler-level security mechanisms and operating system memory protection features. The vulnerability was distinct from other related issues such as CVE-2015-8409 and CVE-2015-8440, indicating a unique exploitation vector that specifically targeted the JIT data handling rather than other memory management components. The flaw was particularly dangerous because it undermined fundamental security mitigations that are commonly deployed in modern operating systems and applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was severe as it significantly reduced the effectiveness of ASLR protections that are considered standard security mitigations in modern software environments. This allowed attackers to successfully exploit other memory corruption vulnerabilities that would otherwise be difficult to exploit due to ASLR protections. The vulnerability affected a wide range of Adobe products including Flash Player, AIR, and AIR SDK components, making it a widespread concern for organizations relying on Adobe technologies. The attack surface was extensive given the prevalence of Flash Player in web browsers and the usage of AIR for desktop applications. Organizations that had deployed ASLR protections as part of their security strategy found these controls rendered ineffective against this specific attack vector.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of affected Adobe products to the recommended versions that contained fixes for the JIT data handling issue. System administrators needed to prioritize deployment of security updates across all affected platforms including Windows, OS X, and Linux environments. Organizations should have implemented additional monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and considered disabling Flash Player in web browsers as a temporary mitigation measure. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of comprehensive security testing that includes JIT compiler behavior and memory management interactions. Security teams needed to review their incident response procedures to account for this specific exploitation technique that bypassed traditional ASLR protections. This vulnerability also emphasized the need for layered security approaches where multiple mitigations work in concert to protect against sophisticated exploitation techniques that target low-level system components.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 Improper Restriction of Operations within the Memory Pool and CWE-122 Heap-based Buffer Overflow patterns, while also demonstrating characteristics of ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell and T1055.011 for Process Injection that could be leveraged in conjunction with ASLR bypasses. The attack methodology represents a sophisticated form of exploit development that targets memory management components rather than traditional application-level vulnerabilities, making it particularly challenging to defend against using conventional security controls.