CVE-2016-0982 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE • 01/26/2023
Use-after-free vulnerability in 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 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0973, CVE-2016-0974, CVE-2016-0975, CVE-2016-0983, and CVE-2016-0984.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2024
The CVE-2016-0982 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and related technologies that affected multiple platform versions across Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. This vulnerability specifically impacted Flash Player versions prior to 18.0.0.329 and 19.x and 20.x versions before 20.0.0.306 on Windows and OS X, while Linux versions were affected before 11.2.202.569. Additionally, Adobe AIR versions before 20.0.0.260 and corresponding SDK versions were also vulnerable, creating a broad attack surface that spanned across multiple Adobe products and operating environments. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which occurs when a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate memory contents and execute arbitrary code. This particular flaw was distinct from several other related vulnerabilities including CVE-2016-0973 through CVE-2016-0984, indicating a separate attack vector that required unique exploitation techniques.
The technical implementation of this use-after-free vulnerability stems from improper memory management within Adobe Flash Player's handling of object references and memory allocation patterns. When Flash Player processes certain multimedia content or executes specific actions within SWF files, it may allocate memory for objects and subsequently free that memory while still maintaining references to it. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious SWF content that triggers the memory management error, causing the program to access freed memory locations that may have been overwritten with attacker-controlled data. This creates a scenario where memory corruption can be leveraged to overwrite critical program structures, function pointers, or return addresses, ultimately enabling code execution. The vulnerability typically manifests when Flash Player processes complex multimedia objects or executes specific sequences of operations that cause the runtime to improperly manage object lifecycles, making it particularly dangerous in web browser environments where users frequently encounter Flash content.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-0982 extends significantly across enterprise and individual security environments due to Flash Player's widespread deployment and usage across various platforms. The vulnerability's exploitation potential allowed attackers to achieve remote code execution with the privileges of the Flash Player process, which typically runs with user-level permissions but could potentially be escalated through additional attack vectors. This made it particularly attractive for advanced persistent threat actors and cybercriminals who sought to establish persistent access to targeted systems. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability meant that organizations using Windows, macOS, and Linux systems were all at risk, requiring comprehensive security updates across multiple product lines. Organizations that relied heavily on Flash-based applications for business processes or web content were especially vulnerable, as the attack surface included not only web browsers but also desktop applications that utilized Flash Player components. The vulnerability's presence in Adobe AIR and SDK versions also affected developers and enterprise environments that used these tools for application development, potentially allowing attackers to compromise development workstations or build environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-0982 required immediate action from organizations to patch affected systems and implement additional security controls. Adobe released security updates for all affected versions of Flash Player, AIR, and SDK, which organizations were strongly advised to deploy immediately. The recommended approach involved applying the latest patches from Adobe's security bulletin, which addressed the specific memory management issues causing the use-after-free condition. Network administrators should have implemented web content filtering and sandboxing measures to limit exposure to potentially malicious Flash content, while security teams should have monitored for indicators of compromise related to Flash-based attacks. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across all software components, particularly those with broad deployment such as Flash Player. Organizations should have also considered implementing additional security controls such as application whitelisting, browser security policies, and network segmentation to reduce the impact of potential exploitation. This vulnerability demonstrated the critical need for regular security assessments and proactive vulnerability management, particularly for widely deployed software components that serve as attack vectors for sophisticated adversaries. The incident reinforced the ATT&CK framework's relevance in understanding how use-after-free vulnerabilities can be leveraged for privilege escalation and persistent access within target environments.