CVE-2017-11282 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player has an exploitable memory corruption vulnerability in the MP4 atom parser. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution. This affects 26.0.0.151 and earlier.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2025
Adobe Flash Player version 26.0.0.151 and earlier contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability within its MP4 atom parser component that presents a significant security risk to affected systems. This vulnerability resides in the way Flash Player processes multimedia data structures, specifically when parsing MP4 file format atoms that define the structure and content of multimedia files. The flaw occurs during the handling of malformed or specially crafted MP4 atom sequences, where insufficient bounds checking and memory management controls allow attackers to manipulate memory layout and execute arbitrary code within the context of the Flash Player application. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of input data structures, creating opportunities for buffer overflows or heap corruption that can be exploited through carefully constructed malicious media files.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages the inherent characteristics of the MP4 file format parsing logic within Flash Player's multimedia processing pipeline. Attackers can craft MP4 files containing maliciously formatted atoms that trigger the memory corruption when the Flash Player attempts to parse these structures. This typically involves manipulating the size fields or structure of atoms to cause the parser to read beyond allocated memory boundaries or overwrite critical data structures. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read errors. These memory corruption issues can be particularly dangerous because they often allow attackers to control the instruction pointer and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process, potentially leading to full system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-11282 extends beyond simple code execution, as it represents a critical attack surface that can be leveraged through multiple delivery vectors including web browsers, email attachments, and malicious websites. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because Flash Player was widely deployed across enterprise environments and consumer systems, making it an attractive target for threat actors seeking to establish persistent access to networks. Once exploited, attackers could gain remote code execution capabilities that would allow them to install malware, establish backdoors, or perform data exfiltration activities. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1078.004 for valid accounts, as successful exploitation often leads to privilege escalation and persistent access to compromised systems. Organizations running affected Flash Player versions faced significant risk exposure, particularly in environments where Flash Player was enabled in web browsers without proper sandboxing or security controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-11282 require immediate action to address the root cause through official Adobe security patches and updates. The primary remediation involves upgrading to Adobe Flash Player version 26.0.0.152 or later, which contains fixes for the memory corruption issues in the MP4 atom parser. Organizations should also implement network-based protections such as content filtering and web application firewalls to block access to known malicious MP4 files and prevent automatic execution of Flash content. Browser security configurations should include disabling Flash Player plugins or implementing strict sandboxing policies that limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Additional protective measures include network segmentation to limit lateral movement, endpoint detection and response systems to monitor for suspicious execution patterns, and regular security assessments to identify systems running outdated Flash Player versions. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against zero-day exploits that target legacy multimedia processing libraries.