CVE-2016-4286 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.382 and 19.x through 23.x before 23.0.0.185 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.637 on Linux allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/08/2019
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 18.0.0.382 and 19.x through 23.x before 23.0.0.185 on Windows and OS X platforms, as well as versions before 11.2.202.637 on Linux, contained a critical access restriction bypass vulnerability that enabled attackers to circumvent intended security controls. This flaw allowed unauthorized access to protected resources and functionality within the Flash Player environment, potentially enabling exploitation of underlying system components and user data. The vulnerability stemmed from insufficient validation mechanisms that failed to properly enforce access controls, creating opportunities for malicious actors to execute unauthorized operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues in software systems. The flaw manifested through unspecified vectors that likely involved manipulation of Flash Player's security model or exploitation of race conditions in access control enforcement. Attackers could leverage this weakness to bypass sandboxing mechanisms that are fundamental to Flash Player's security architecture, potentially gaining access to local file systems, network resources, or other protected system components. The vulnerability existed across multiple platform variants, indicating a systemic issue within the Flash Player codebase rather than a platform-specific flaw.
Operational impact of this vulnerability was substantial as it provided attackers with elevated privileges and access capabilities that should have been restricted by the Flash Player security model. Organizations relying on Flash Player for content delivery faced increased risk of data breaches, system compromise, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability was particularly dangerous because it affected widely deployed versions of Flash Player across multiple operating systems, creating broad exposure across enterprise environments. Security researchers noted that this flaw could be exploited in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to create more sophisticated attack chains, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of affected Flash Player installations across all supported platforms. Organizations should have implemented comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all systems were updated to versions 18.0.0.382, 23.0.0.185, or 11.2.202.637 respectively, depending on their operating system. Network administrators should have considered implementing additional security controls such as content filtering and restricted Flash Player usage policies. The vulnerability also highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing layered defense strategies. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be categorized under privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques, as it enabled attackers to bypass security controls and maintain persistent access to compromised systems. Organizations should have conducted thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all affected systems and implemented monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.