CVE-2016-0997 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in 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 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0987, CVE-2016-0988, CVE-2016-0990, CVE-2016-0991, CVE-2016-0994, CVE-2016-0995, CVE-2016-0996, CVE-2016-0998, CVE-2016-0999, and CVE-2016-1000.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2025
The CVE-2016-0997 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Adobe Flash Player and related Adobe AIR applications that affected multiple platform versions across Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of use-after-free conditions, where a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed, creating potential exploitation opportunities for malicious actors. The affected versions include Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.333 and 19.x through 21.x before 21.0.0.182 on Windows and OS X, along with older Linux versions before 11.2.202.577, as well as Adobe AIR and AIR SDK versions prior to 21.0.0.176.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker can manipulate the Flash Player's memory management to trigger a use-after-free condition during the processing of specially crafted multimedia content or web pages. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the victim's browser session, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description indicate that the vulnerability could be triggered through various attack surfaces including malformed SWF files, web content, or embedded multimedia elements that Flash Player processes. This vulnerability is distinct from several other related CVEs in the same year, indicating a unique exploitation pathway that required different defensive measures.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability posed significant risks to enterprise environments where Flash Player was widely deployed for multimedia content delivery, web applications, and rich internet applications. The impact extended beyond individual user systems to potentially compromise entire network infrastructures, as successful exploitation could lead to persistent backdoors, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within networks. Organizations that had not yet migrated away from Flash-based applications faced particularly high exposure, as the vulnerability could be exploited through social engineering campaigns targeting users with outdated Flash Player installations. The attack surface was further expanded by the widespread use of Flash in web browsers, making it a prime target for zero-day exploits.
Security mitigations for CVE-2016-0997 primarily focused on immediate patching and remediation strategies. Adobe released security updates for all affected versions, and organizations were advised to implement immediate patch management procedures to update Flash Player and AIR applications to their secure versions. Additional defensive measures included browser security configurations, content filtering, and network-based protections to limit Flash content execution. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date software across all platforms and demonstrated the need for comprehensive vulnerability management programs that could address multiple attack vectors simultaneously. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability mapped to techniques involving exploitation of software vulnerabilities and privilege escalation, with potential for lateral movement once initial compromise occurred. Organizations implementing security controls such as application whitelisting, sandboxing, and regular security assessments were better positioned to mitigate the risks associated with this and similar use-after-free vulnerabilities.