CVE-2016-4220 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-2016-4219, 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, along with versions before 11.2.202.632 on Linux systems, contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that could be exploited by remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause denial of service conditions. This vulnerability represents a distinct threat vector from numerous other Flash Player flaws documented in 2016, specifically excluding the CVE-2016-4172 through CVE-2016-4246 series, indicating that attackers could leverage this specific weakness without triggering the known exploit patterns associated with the broader set of vulnerabilities. The memory corruption issue manifested through unspecified attack vectors that allowed malicious actors to manipulate the player's memory management functions, potentially leading to heap corruption or stack overflow conditions that could be leveraged for privilege escalation. The technical nature of this flaw 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, both of which are frequently exploited in browser-based attack scenarios. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability created significant risk for organizations relying on Flash Player for multimedia content delivery, as it could be triggered through web browsing activities or embedded content in emails, potentially enabling attackers to bypass traditional security controls. The attack surface was particularly concerning given Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise environments and its integration with web browsers, making it a prime target for advanced persistent threat actors. The vulnerability's exploitation could result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the Flash Player process, which typically ran with user-level permissions but could potentially be escalated through additional attack vectors. Security researchers classified this issue as a remote code execution vulnerability, placing it within the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, demonstrating the multi-layered nature of the threat. Organizations faced the challenge of maintaining Flash Player compatibility while addressing the memory corruption risks, as many legacy applications required Flash Player for proper functionality. The vulnerability's impact extended beyond immediate exploitation potential to include long-term security implications, as the memory corruption could persist across system sessions and potentially be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks. According to industry best practices for vulnerability remediation, affected systems required immediate patching with the latest Flash Player versions, and organizations should have implemented network segmentation and application whitelisting to limit exposure. The mitigation strategy needed to account for the complex interaction between Flash Player and various browser environments, particularly considering that different browser vendors had implemented varying levels of security controls that could either exacerbate or reduce the vulnerability's exploitability. Organizations should have also considered implementing sandboxing mechanisms and monitoring for anomalous memory access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue placed it in the same category as other critical flaws like those found in browser rendering engines, making it particularly dangerous when combined with other browser-based vulnerabilities. Security teams needed to develop incident response procedures specifically addressing Flash Player exploits, including memory dump analysis and forensic investigation capabilities to understand exploitation techniques. The remediation process required careful coordination between IT operations and security teams to ensure that patch deployment did not disrupt critical business applications that depended on Flash content. The vulnerability's presence in multiple Flash Player versions indicated a systemic flaw in the player's memory management architecture that required comprehensive code review and architectural changes to prevent similar issues in future releases. Organizations should have implemented continuous monitoring for signs of exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on network traffic patterns and memory access anomalies that could indicate exploitation of this specific vulnerability. The complexity of the attack vectors and the potential for privilege escalation made this vulnerability particularly challenging to defend against without comprehensive security measures across multiple layers of the IT infrastructure. This flaw demonstrated the ongoing security challenges associated with legacy software platforms and highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches for all installed software components. The vulnerability's exploitation could occur through various means including malicious websites, email attachments, or compromised web services, making it difficult to fully protect against without implementing layered security controls.