CVE-2017-3114 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Adobe Flash Player 27.0.0.183 and earlier versions. This vulnerability occurs as a result of a computation that reads data that is past the end of the target buffer; the computation is part of providing language- and region- or country- specific functionality. The use of an invalid (out-of-range) pointer offset during access of internal data structure fields causes the vulnerability. A successful attack can lead to sensitive data exposure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/17/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3114 represents a classic buffer over-read condition within Adobe Flash Player versions 27.0.0.183 and earlier. This flaw specifically manifests during the processing of language and regional localization functionality, where the software attempts to access memory locations beyond the boundaries of allocated buffers. The root cause stems from improper bounds checking when handling internal data structures that store localization information, creating a scenario where pointer arithmetic results in accessing invalid memory addresses. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 category of "Out-of-bounds Read" and aligns with the broader class of memory safety issues that have historically plagued multimedia and scripting platforms. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it occurs during legitimate user interaction with localized content, making exploitation more likely in real-world scenarios.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the Flash Player's internal handling of localization data structures that store language and country-specific information. When processing user requests for localized content, the software performs calculations that determine memory offsets for accessing specific data fields. However, these calculations do not properly validate that the resulting memory addresses remain within the bounds of the allocated buffer. This results in the software reading data from memory locations that may contain sensitive information from other parts of the application's memory space. The out-of-range pointer access can potentially expose confidential data such as user credentials, session tokens, or other sensitive information stored in adjacent memory regions. The vulnerability demonstrates poor memory management practices and inadequate input validation during the localization process, which are fundamental security requirements according to secure coding standards.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on Flash Player for web content delivery and multimedia applications. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized data exposure, potentially compromising user privacy and system integrity. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain access to sensitive information that might be stored in the memory regions adjacent to the corrupted buffer, including but not limited to authentication tokens, personal user data, or application-specific information. The impact extends beyond simple data leakage, as this vulnerability could serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks, particularly when combined with other exploitation techniques. The vulnerability's presence in widely deployed Flash Player versions means that organizations with legacy systems or those still using Flash content for critical operations face substantial exposure risk.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-3114 should prioritize immediate remediation through Adobe's official security patches and updates. Organizations must ensure all Flash Player installations are updated to versions that address this specific buffer over-read condition. System administrators should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability. The ATT&CK framework's T1059.007 technique for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Windows Command Shell" could be relevant in defensive measures, as attackers might use command-line tools to exploit or scan for vulnerable systems. Additionally, implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict Flash Player execution to trusted environments can reduce attack surface. Security teams should also consider deploying memory protection mechanisms such as data execution prevention and address space layout randomization to make exploitation more difficult. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include checks for outdated Flash Player installations, as this vulnerability represents a persistent risk in legacy environments that continue to support Flash-based applications.