CVE-2016-4219 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-2016-4190, CVE-2016-4217, CVE-2016-4218, 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.
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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 in the same year, specifically excluding CVE-2016-4172 through CVE-2016-4246, which indicates it was not a variant of previously discovered memory corruption patterns. The flaw manifested through unspecified attack vectors that allowed malicious actors to manipulate memory structures within the Flash Player runtime environment, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution on vulnerable systems. The vulnerability's impact extended across multiple operating system platforms, including both Windows and macOS environments, as well as Linux distributions, demonstrating the widespread nature of the flaw. This memory corruption issue typically occurred when Flash Player processed specially crafted multimedia content or web pages that triggered unsafe memory operations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-119, which describes weaknesses in memory safety, and represents a classic buffer overflow or memory corruption scenario that attackers could exploit to gain unauthorized system access. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability posed significant risk to enterprise environments where Flash Player remained installed, as it could be leveraged to establish persistent access to compromised systems. The attack surface was particularly broad given Flash Player's widespread deployment across web browsers and applications, making it an attractive target for threat actors seeking to compromise end-user systems. Organizations relying on Flash Player for multimedia content delivery faced potential exploitation through drive-by downloads, malicious websites, or compromised web applications that embedded vulnerable Flash content. The vulnerability's classification under the broader ATT&CK framework would likely map to techniques involving exploitation of software vulnerabilities and privilege escalation, as successful exploitation could lead to system compromise. Mitigation strategies required immediate patch deployment to update Flash Player to versions 18.0.0.366 or later for the 18.x series, 22.0.0.209 or later for the 22.x series, and 11.2.202.632 or later for Linux systems. Security administrators should have implemented network-based protections including web filtering and content validation to prevent access to malicious Flash content. Additionally, disabling Flash Player in web browsers and removing it from systems where it was not required provided effective defense-in-depth measures. The vulnerability highlighted the ongoing security challenges associated with legacy software components and demonstrated the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions to protect against known exploits. Organizations should have conducted comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all systems running vulnerable Flash Player versions and prioritized patching efforts accordingly, as the memory corruption nature of the flaw made it particularly dangerous for persistent attacks. The vulnerability's exploitation required minimal user interaction, often succeeding through automatic execution when users visited compromised websites, making it a significant concern for enterprise security teams.