CVE-2015-8652 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 execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read and memory corruption) via crafted MPEG-4 data, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-8045, CVE-2015-8047, CVE-2015-8060, CVE-2015-8408, CVE-2015-8416, CVE-2015-8417, CVE-2015-8418, CVE-2015-8419, CVE-2015-8443, CVE-2015-8444, CVE-2015-8451, CVE-2015-8455, CVE-2015-8654, CVE-2015-8656, CVE-2015-8657, CVE-2015-8658, and CVE-2015-8820.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2022
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, along with Adobe AIR versions before 20.0.0.204 and corresponding SDK versions, contained a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could be exploited through maliciously crafted MPEG-4 media data. This vulnerability represents a memory corruption flaw that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions on affected systems. The technical implementation involves improper bounds checking during the parsing of MPEG-4 video streams, where the Flash Player's media decoder fails to validate the size and structure of data elements before accessing memory regions. This specific vulnerability is categorized under CWE-125 as out-of-bounds read, which falls within the broader category of memory safety issues that have historically led to severe exploitation opportunities. The flaw operates through a classic buffer over-read condition where the application attempts to access memory beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, potentially leading to information disclosure, code execution, or system instability. Security researchers identified this vulnerability as distinct from several other related issues affecting the same product line, including CVE-2015-8045 through CVE-2015-8820, which indicates the complexity and prevalence of memory corruption vulnerabilities in Flash Player's media handling components. The attack vector specifically targets the MPEG-4 parser within the Flash Player's multimedia subsystem, where crafted video data can trigger the memory corruption through malformed data structures that are processed without adequate validation checks. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 by enabling adversaries to gain code execution capabilities through memory corruption exploits. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple platforms including Windows, OS X, and Linux systems, making it particularly dangerous as it affects a wide range of user environments. The memory corruption aspect means that successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, as attackers could leverage the out-of-bounds read to overwrite critical memory locations and redirect execution flow. Additionally, the denial of service component of this vulnerability could be used to disrupt legitimate services by causing application crashes or system instability. The affected versions represent a significant attack surface since Flash Player was widely deployed across enterprise and consumer environments, with the vulnerability persisting across multiple major release versions. Organizations utilizing Adobe AIR applications were also at risk, as the same underlying media processing components were shared between the runtime environment and the standalone player. The vulnerability's persistence across different release branches demonstrates the challenges in maintaining secure media processing libraries in complex multimedia frameworks. The exploitation of this vulnerability typically requires the user to interact with malicious content, either through web browsers or desktop applications that embed Flash Player components, making it a significant concern for both endpoint security and web application security teams. Security patches released by Adobe addressed the issue through improved bounds checking and memory validation mechanisms within the MPEG-4 parser, requiring immediate deployment across all affected systems to prevent potential exploitation. The vulnerability serves as a prime example of how multimedia processing components in rich internet applications can become attack vectors for sophisticated exploitation techniques. This particular flaw underscores the importance of robust input validation and memory safety practices in multimedia libraries, particularly those handling complex file formats like MPEG-4 which contain numerous data structures that require careful parsing and validation. The presence of similar vulnerabilities across multiple CVE identifiers indicates that this represents a systemic issue in Flash Player's handling of media data rather than an isolated incident, highlighting the need for comprehensive security reviews of media processing components in software applications.