CVE-2017-3068 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player versions 25.0.0.148 and earlier have an exploitable memory corruption vulnerability in the Advanced Video Coding engine. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2025
Adobe Flash Player contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability within its Advanced Video Coding engine that affected versions 25.0.0.148 and earlier. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of video data during decoding processes, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory structures and execute malicious code. The flaw exists in how the player processes video frames and manages memory allocation during video rendering, specifically when handling certain video codecs that utilize the advanced video coding standard.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. Attackers could craft specially malformed video content that, when processed by the vulnerable Flash Player, would trigger memory corruption leading to arbitrary code execution. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the memory level, allowing attackers to bypass standard security controls and directly manipulate program execution flow. The Advanced Video Coding engine's complex processing pipeline created multiple potential injection points where attacker-controlled data could corrupt memory structures and redirect execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was severe and widespread given Flash Player's ubiquity across web browsers and applications. Successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to install malware, steal sensitive data, or establish persistent backdoors. The vulnerability's exploitability was enhanced by Flash Player's widespread deployment, making it an attractive target for nation-state actors and criminal organizations. Systems running vulnerable versions were particularly at risk when users visited compromised websites or opened malicious documents containing embedded Flash content, creating multiple attack vectors for exploitation.
Organizations should have immediately applied patches from Adobe to address this vulnerability, as the company released security updates specifically targeting this flaw. The recommended mitigation strategy involved disabling Flash Player entirely on systems where it was not absolutely required, given its long history of security issues. Security teams needed to implement network monitoring to detect attempts to load Flash content and establish endpoint protection measures to prevent exploitation. Additionally, browser vendors began disabling Flash support by default, and many organizations transitioned to alternative technologies such as HTML5 for video content delivery. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date software and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against similar memory corruption issues.