CVE-2018-4945 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player versions 29.0.0.171 and earlier have a Type Confusion vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2020
Adobe Flash Player contained a critical type confusion vulnerability in version 29.0.0.171 and earlier releases that fundamentally compromised the application's memory management integrity. This vulnerability arose from improper handling of object types during runtime execution, specifically when the player encountered objects that could be interpreted as multiple data types simultaneously. The flaw occurred within the player's ActionScript virtual machine where type checking mechanisms failed to properly validate object classifications, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory layouts through crafted malicious content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leveraged the inherent weaknesses in Flash Player's type system to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the currently logged-in user. Attackers could construct specially formatted flash content that would trigger the type confusion during object instantiation or method invocation, allowing them to overwrite critical memory locations including function pointers or return addresses. This memory corruption ultimately enabled code execution within the Flash Player process context, bypassing standard security boundaries and potentially providing attackers with full system access.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represented a severe threat to enterprise environments since Flash Player was widely deployed across organizations for multimedia content delivery, web applications, and interactive training materials. The vulnerability's exploitability was particularly concerning given Flash Player's extensive use in corporate networks where users often had elevated privileges. Security researchers noted that the vulnerability could be exploited through web browsers without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website, making it highly dangerous in phishing campaigns and drive-by download scenarios. The impact extended beyond individual user systems to potentially compromise entire network infrastructures when exploited in targeted attacks.
Organizations should have implemented immediate mitigation strategies including disabling Flash Player plugins in web browsers, deploying network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for malicious flash content, and ensuring all systems had up-to-date security patches. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-128, which describes "Unsigned to Signed Integer Conversion Error" and related type confusion issues, while also mapping to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic" where attackers might leverage the compromised Flash Player environment to execute additional malicious code. Organizations needed to conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify all systems running vulnerable Flash Player versions and establish robust monitoring procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlighted the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against zero-day exploits targeting widely deployed applications.