CVE-2016-0989 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-2016-0962, CVE-2016-0986, CVE-2016-0992, CVE-2016-1002, and CVE-2016-1005.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2022
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR versions prior to specified patches contain a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability exists in multiple product versions across different operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. The flaw manifests through unspecified attack vectors that differ from other related vulnerabilities in the same timeframe, making it a distinct threat vector requiring separate mitigation strategies.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within the Flash Player runtime environment and AIR applications. Memory corruption issues typically occur when applications write data beyond allocated memory boundaries or access invalid memory locations. In the context of Flash Player, this vulnerability likely involves heap corruption or stack overflow conditions that can be triggered through malformed multimedia content or malicious SWF files. The vulnerability affects both the runtime execution environment and the development tools including AIR SDK and Compiler components, indicating a fundamental issue within the underlying Flash architecture.
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by delivering malicious content that, when processed by the vulnerable Flash Player or AIR runtime, triggers the memory corruption condition. Successful exploitation can result in arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected user, potentially allowing attackers to install malware, steal data, or completely compromise the affected system. The denial of service aspect of this vulnerability means that even unsuccessful exploitation attempts can cause applications to crash or become unresponsive, disrupting normal operations. Given the widespread adoption of Flash Player across various platforms, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to enterprise and individual users alike.
The vulnerability impacts a broad range of affected versions including Flash Player 18.0.0.332 and earlier, versions 19.x through 21.x before 21.0.0.182, and various Adobe AIR releases. This extensive scope demonstrates the severity of the underlying memory management flaw. Security researchers have classified this vulnerability according to CWE standards as a memory corruption issue, specifically relating to improper handling of memory operations within application runtime environments. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this as a code injection technique, potentially leveraging privilege escalation paths through compromised Flash Player processes. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of all affected systems and consider implementing network segmentation to limit exposure while patches are deployed. Additionally, disabling Flash Player in web browsers and removing Flash content from systems can serve as temporary mitigation strategies until comprehensive patching is achieved.