CVE-2017-3084 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player versions 25.0.0.171 and earlier have an exploitable use after free vulnerability in the advertising metadata functionality. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/17/2019
Adobe Flash Player contained a critical use after free vulnerability in its advertising metadata processing functionality that affected versions 25.0.0.171 and earlier. This vulnerability arises from improper memory management where freed memory blocks are still referenced or accessed by subsequent operations within the advertising metadata parsing code. The flaw occurs when the player processes embedded advertising content that contains malformed metadata structures, leading to a situation where memory allocated to advertising elements is deallocated but subsequently accessed by the parsing routine.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a classic use after free attack pattern where an attacker crafts malicious advertising metadata that triggers the memory management error during parsing operations. When the Flash Player attempts to access the freed memory location, it can be manipulated to redirect execution flow to attacker-controlled code. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because advertising metadata is commonly embedded in web content and multimedia files, making it an effective attack vector through web browsers or media players that utilize Flash Player components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution as it represents a severe privilege escalation risk within the Flash Player sandbox environment. According to CWE-416, this vulnerability directly maps to use after free conditions that can lead to arbitrary code execution, making it a high-value target for attackers seeking persistent access to systems. The vulnerability affects not only end-user systems but also enterprise environments where Flash Player remains widely deployed for legacy applications and content delivery. Attackers can leverage this flaw through drive-by download scenarios where visiting compromised websites triggers the exploit without user interaction, as documented in various ATT&CK frameworks under technique T1203 for exploitation of web applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-3084 require immediate patching of all affected Flash Player installations to version 25.0.0.172 or later, which contains the necessary memory management fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive network segmentation to limit Flash Player usage and consider deploying web application firewalls to filter malicious advertising content. Additionally, browser vendors have since deprecated Flash Player support entirely, making the long-term solution the complete removal of Flash Player components from systems. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and endpoint detection systems that can identify suspicious memory access patterns consistent with use after free exploitation techniques. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management in multimedia processing libraries and highlights why modern security practices emphasize sandboxing and memory safety mechanisms as fundamental defensive controls.