CVE-2016-4190 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE • 01/25/2023
Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.366 and 19.x through 22.x before 22.0.0.209 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.632 on Linux allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-4172, CVE-2016-4175, CVE-2016-4179, CVE-2016-4180, CVE-2016-4181, CVE-2016-4182, CVE-2016-4183, CVE-2016-4184, CVE-2016-4185, CVE-2016-4186, CVE-2016-4187, CVE-2016-4188, CVE-2016-4189, CVE-2016-4217, CVE-2016-4218, CVE-2016-4219, CVE-2016-4220, CVE-2016-4221, CVE-2016-4233, CVE-2016-4234, CVE-2016-4235, CVE-2016-4236, CVE-2016-4237, CVE-2016-4238, CVE-2016-4239, CVE-2016-4240, CVE-2016-4241, CVE-2016-4242, CVE-2016-4243, CVE-2016-4244, CVE-2016-4245, and CVE-2016-4246.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/04/2024
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 18.0.0.366 and 19.x through 22.x before 22.0.0.209 on Windows and OS X platforms, as well as versions before 11.2.202.632 on Linux systems, contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability represented a distinct threat vector from numerous other CVEs affecting the same product line during the same timeframe, highlighting the complexity of Flash Player's security landscape. The unspecified attack vectors within this vulnerability allowed malicious actors to manipulate memory structures in ways that could result in arbitrary code execution within the context of the victim's browser session. The memory corruption aspect of this flaw suggested that attackers could potentially overwrite critical memory locations, leading to unpredictable behavior and system compromise.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with common software security weaknesses categorized under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. These memory management flaws typically arise from insufficient input validation and improper bounds checking within the Flash Player runtime environment. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability through malicious web content that would trigger specific code paths within Flash Player's processing pipeline, potentially leading to complete system compromise when users visited compromised websites. The vulnerability's presence across multiple Flash Player versions and operating systems demonstrated the widespread nature of the underlying memory management issues within Adobe's multimedia framework.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability created significant risk for organizations relying on Flash Player for web content delivery, as it could be exploited through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting malicious websites. The attack surface expanded considerably given Flash Player's prevalence in enterprise environments and its integration with numerous web applications. The memory corruption nature of the vulnerability meant that successful exploitation could result in persistent system compromise, allowing attackers to maintain access and potentially escalate privileges. Organizations faced the challenge of managing patches across diverse environments while dealing with legacy applications that depended heavily on Flash Player functionality.
Security professionals should have implemented immediate mitigation strategies including disabling Flash Player in web browsers, deploying network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts, and ensuring rapid patch deployment across all affected systems. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution flaw placed it within the ATT&CK framework under techniques such as T1059.007 for command and script interpreter and T1071.004 for application layer protocol. Organizations needed to prioritize patch management processes and implement comprehensive monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The presence of this vulnerability alongside numerous others in the same timeframe indicated that Adobe's Flash Player required comprehensive security auditing and architectural review to address fundamental memory safety issues that had persisted across multiple versions of the software.