CVE-2016-0976 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-2016-0972, 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 Adobe AIR suffered from a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability affected multiple product versions across different operating systems including Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms. The flaw manifested through unspecified attack vectors that differed from several other related vulnerabilities in the same timeframe, indicating a distinct exploitation pathway within the Flash runtime environment.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within the Flash Player and AIR runtime components. Memory corruption vulnerabilities typically occur when applications write data beyond allocated memory boundaries or access memory that has already been freed. In the context of Flash Player, this could involve issues with object management, buffer overflows, or improper validation of user-supplied data within multimedia content. The vulnerability allowed attackers to manipulate memory structures in ways that could lead to arbitrary code execution or system crashes.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-0976 was significant given Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise and consumer environments. Organizations relying on Flash-based applications and content were exposed to potential compromise through web browsers or desktop applications that utilized the affected versions. The vulnerability's presence in both desktop and mobile versions of Adobe AIR further expanded the attack surface, as AIR applications could be exploited through similar memory corruption mechanisms. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to execute malicious code with the privileges of the affected user, potentially leading to complete system compromise or persistent backdoor installation.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read and CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, which are common categories for memory corruption flaws in software systems. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability would map to techniques such as T1059.007: Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic and T1078: Valid Accounts, as attackers could leverage compromised Flash installations to establish persistent access. The vulnerability also demonstrates characteristics of T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution, where attackers exploit software flaws to execute arbitrary code on target systems.
Organizations should immediately update to the patched versions of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR as specified in the advisory. The recommended versions include Flash Player 18.0.0.329 and 20.0.0.306 for Windows and OS X, and 11.2.202.569 for Linux, along with corresponding AIR updates. Security teams should also implement network-based protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering to prevent exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any systems running affected versions and ensure complete patch deployment across all endpoints. The remediation process should include verification of patch installation and monitoring for any exploitation attempts or anomalous system behavior that might indicate successful exploitation attempts against unpatched systems.