CVE-2016-0972 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.329 and 19.x and 20.x before 20.0.0.306 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.569 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 20.0.0.260, Adobe AIR SDK before 20.0.0.260, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 20.0.0.260 allow attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0964, CVE-2016-0965, CVE-2016-0966, CVE-2016-0967, CVE-2016-0968, CVE-2016-0969, CVE-2016-0970, CVE-2016-0976, CVE-2016-0977, CVE-2016-0978, CVE-2016-0979, CVE-2016-0980, and CVE-2016-0981.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2022
Adobe Flash Player and AIR runtime environments 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. Security researchers identified this vulnerability as distinct from several other related issues within the same vulnerability family, specifically excluding CVE-2016-0964 through CVE-2016-0981 which had different exploitation mechanisms. The vulnerability classified under CWE-125, indicating an out-of-bounds read condition that could lead to memory corruption, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.305 for command and scripting interpreter usage. The memory corruption aspect of this vulnerability represents a fundamental flaw in the memory management subsystem of Adobe's runtime environment, where improper bounds checking allowed attackers to manipulate memory locations beyond allocated boundaries. This type of vulnerability typically arises from insufficient input validation and improper handling of user-supplied data within the Flash Player's parsing routines. The exploitation of this vulnerability would require an attacker to craft malicious Flash content that could be delivered through web browsers or other applications that utilize the affected Flash runtime components. Attackers could leverage this weakness to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user, potentially leading to full system compromise. The impact extends beyond simple code execution as the memory corruption could also result in application crashes and denial of service conditions that disrupt legitimate user operations. Organizations running affected versions of Adobe Flash Player and AIR were particularly vulnerable since the flaw existed in widely deployed runtime environments that processed multimedia content across various web applications. The vulnerability's exploitation potential was heightened by the widespread use of Flash content on websites and the relatively low complexity required to deliver malicious payloads through standard web browsing activities. Security professionals noted that the vulnerability's impact was particularly severe due to the nature of Flash Player's privileged execution environment and its integration with web browsers. The specific technical details of the exploitation vectors were not fully disclosed in the initial vulnerability report, which is common for zero-day vulnerabilities where attackers may be actively exploiting the flaw. Organizations needed to implement immediate patches and updates to address this vulnerability, as the memory corruption could be leveraged for sophisticated attack campaigns. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue places it within the broader category of heap-based buffer overflow conditions that have historically been among the most dangerous classes of software vulnerabilities. This vulnerability required comprehensive remediation efforts across all affected platforms and versions, as the underlying memory management issues existed in core components of Adobe's runtime architecture.
The vulnerability's exploitation mechanisms likely involved manipulating Flash content to trigger improper memory handling during content parsing or rendering operations. Attackers would typically deliver malicious SWF files through compromised websites or phishing campaigns, where the Flash Player would execute the malicious code within the context of the user's browser session. The memory corruption aspect meant that successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, as the attacker could potentially overwrite critical memory locations or inject malicious code into the running process. This vulnerability represented a significant risk to enterprise environments where Flash Player was commonly used for business applications and web-based services. The fact that multiple versions were affected across different operating systems indicated that the underlying memory management flaw was present in the core runtime components rather than being limited to specific platform implementations. Security assessments revealed that the vulnerability's exploitation required minimal user interaction, as simply visiting a malicious website could trigger the memory corruption conditions. The vulnerability's relationship to other CVEs in the same family demonstrated that Adobe had identified multiple related memory corruption issues within their Flash Player and AIR runtime components. The remediation process required careful coordination between Adobe's security teams and enterprise security operations, as the vulnerability affected both end-user applications and development tools including the AIR SDK and compiler components. Organizations needed to implement multi-layered security approaches including browser security settings, content filtering, and immediate patch deployment to protect against this vulnerability. The vulnerability's presence in both production and development environments meant that developers working with Adobe AIR applications were also at risk, potentially compromising their development environments during application testing and compilation processes. This vulnerability underscored the importance of regular security updates and the risks associated with legacy software components that continue to be widely deployed despite known security issues.
Organizations implementing security controls needed to focus on comprehensive patch management strategies that addressed all affected versions across different platforms. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue meant that traditional security measures like antivirus software might not detect the malicious activity, as the exploitation occurred at the memory level rather than through file-based malware signatures. The ATT&CK framework's mapping to T1059.305 highlighted the need for monitoring command execution patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams needed to implement network-based detection measures to identify attempts to access malicious Flash content, as the vulnerability's exploitation could occur without traditional malware detection signatures. The vulnerability's impact on both end-user applications and development environments required organizations to consider the complete software lifecycle when implementing security controls. Adobe's patch release process for this vulnerability demonstrated the company's response to critical security issues, though the timeframe between vulnerability disclosure and patch availability represented a window of opportunity for attackers to exploit the flaw. The vulnerability's presence in the AIR SDK components indicated that developers were also at risk when building applications that might be vulnerable to similar exploitation techniques. Organizations needed to consider the broader implications of Flash Player's end-of-life status, as continued use of vulnerable versions created ongoing security risks despite the product's eventual retirement. The vulnerability's technical characteristics aligned with common exploitation patterns found in memory corruption flaws, where attackers could manipulate program execution flow through carefully crafted inputs. Security professionals recommended immediate implementation of browser security policies that restricted Flash Player execution, particularly in enterprise environments where the attack surface was larger and more complex. The vulnerability's exploitation potential made it a target for advanced persistent threat actors who could leverage the memory corruption for long-term access to compromised systems. The lack of detailed exploitation vectors in the initial disclosure highlighted the ongoing challenge of understanding and defending against sophisticated memory corruption vulnerabilities that could be exploited through multiple attack pathways.