CVE-2016-4233 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-2016-4220, CVE-2016-4221, 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 affecting the same product line during the same timeframe, indicating a complex attack surface within Adobe's multimedia runtime environment.
The technical flaw manifested as an unspecified memory corruption vulnerability that occurred within Flash Player's handling of certain multimedia content or script execution contexts. Memory corruption vulnerabilities typically arise when applications fail to properly validate input data or manage memory allocation, leading to situations where attacker-controlled data can overwrite critical memory regions. This particular vulnerability exploited the underlying architecture of Flash Player's ActionScript virtual machine and native code components, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate heap memory structures or stack frames through malformed input vectors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was severe and multifaceted, as it provided attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems with the privileges of the Flash Player process. This could result in complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor installation. The denial of service component meant that even successful exploitation without code execution could render systems unusable by crashing the Flash Player process or causing system instability. The vulnerability affected multiple platform variants, increasing the attack surface and making it particularly dangerous for organizations with diverse computing environments.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read and CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write categories, which represent common memory corruption patterns in software applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability would map to techniques such as T1059.007: Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic and T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code through compromised Flash Player processes. Organizations should have implemented immediate patching strategies, network segmentation to limit Flash Player access, and monitoring for suspicious Flash Player activity to mitigate potential exploitation attempts.
The vulnerability highlighted the ongoing security challenges associated with legacy multimedia frameworks and the inherent risks of complex runtime environments that handle untrusted content. Adobe's release of patches for this vulnerability demonstrated the importance of maintaining up-to-date security measures for widely deployed software components. The fact that this vulnerability existed alongside multiple other CVEs against the same product line indicated that Adobe Flash Player's security posture required comprehensive review and remediation efforts. Organizations should have prioritized the immediate deployment of security updates and considered alternative approaches to multimedia content delivery that did not rely on the inherently risky Flash technology.