CVE-2016-0962 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.333 and 19.x through 21.x before 21.0.0.182 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.577 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 21.0.0.176, Adobe AIR SDK before 21.0.0.176, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 21.0.0.176 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0960, CVE-2016-0961, CVE-2016-0986, CVE-2016-0989, CVE-2016-0992, CVE-2016-1002, and CVE-2016-1005.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2022
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR products contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution attacks through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability affected multiple product versions across different operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. The flaw manifested as a memory corruption issue that could be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems or cause denial of service conditions. The vulnerability was distinct from several other related issues including CVE-2016-0960, CVE-2016-0961, CVE-2016-0986, CVE-2016-0989, CVE-2016-0992, CVE-2016-1002, and CVE-2016-1005, indicating a separate code path or implementation flaw. This memory corruption vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which represents out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The attack surface was particularly concerning given Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise and consumer environments, making it a prime target for exploitation. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represented a significant risk to organizations relying on Flash-based content, as it could be triggered through web browsers or other applications that integrated Flash Player components. The exploitability of this vulnerability was enhanced by the fact that it could be delivered through standard web browsing activities without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under privilege escalation and execution techniques, specifically leveraging memory corruption flaws to gain unauthorized system access. Organizations faced the challenge of patch management across multiple platforms and product versions, as the vulnerability affected both Flash Player and AIR runtime environments. The remediation required immediate deployment of patches across all affected versions, with particular attention to the specific version ranges mentioned in the advisory. Security teams needed to implement network monitoring to detect exploitation attempts and ensure complete remediation across all endpoints that could potentially execute Flash content. The vulnerability highlighted the ongoing security risks associated with legacy multimedia frameworks and the importance of timely patch deployment in enterprise environments.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involved memory corruption mechanisms that could be triggered through malformed Flash content or malicious web pages. Attackers could craft specially designed SWF files or web content that would cause the Flash Player to access invalid memory locations, leading to buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions. These conditions could then be leveraged to overwrite critical program memory, potentially allowing attackers to inject and execute malicious code with the privileges of the Flash Player process. The memory corruption issue was particularly dangerous because it could be exploited remotely without requiring any local system access or user interaction beyond normal web browsing. The vulnerability's impact extended beyond individual system compromise to potentially enable broader network attacks, as successful exploitation could provide attackers with a foothold for further lateral movement within enterprise networks. Organizations implementing security controls needed to consider both network-based detection and endpoint protection measures to defend against this type of attack vector. The vulnerability also demonstrated the challenges of maintaining security for legacy software platforms, as Flash Player had been widely deployed for years and many organizations maintained extensive Flash-based applications and content. Security professionals needed to balance the immediate need for patch deployment against the potential business impact of disrupting legacy Flash-based systems, particularly in enterprise environments where Flash content was deeply integrated into business processes and applications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required comprehensive patch management across all affected Adobe products and versions. Organizations needed to prioritize immediate deployment of patches for Flash Player versions before 18.0.0.333 and 19.x through 21.x before 21.0.0.182 on Windows and macOS, as well as Linux versions before 11.2.202.577. The Adobe AIR products and SDKs also required urgent patching, with affected versions before 21.0.0.176 needing immediate attention. Network security teams should have implemented monitoring for exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on traffic patterns that might indicate attempts to deliver malicious Flash content. The mitigation approach should have included both preventive measures such as patch deployment and detective controls like network monitoring and endpoint detection systems. Organizations with legacy systems that could not immediately be patched needed to implement additional protective measures including web application firewalls, content filtering, and network segmentation to limit exposure. The vulnerability also underscored the importance of maintaining up-to-date threat intelligence feeds to identify and respond to exploitation attempts. Security teams needed to develop incident response procedures specifically addressing memory corruption vulnerabilities in multimedia frameworks, including forensic analysis capabilities to investigate potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process required careful planning to avoid disrupting legitimate Flash-based applications while ensuring comprehensive protection against the identified vulnerability. Organizations that had not already begun migrating away from Flash technology were particularly vulnerable and needed to accelerate their transition to modern web standards and technologies. The incident also highlighted the importance of regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning to identify other potential memory corruption issues in legacy software environments.