CVE-2018-5001 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player versions 29.0.0.171 and earlier have an Out-of-bounds read vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to information disclosure.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2020
Adobe Flash Player contained a critical out-of-bounds read vulnerability that affected versions up to and including 29.0.0.171. This vulnerability stems from improper validation of user-supplied data within the player's memory management routines. The flaw occurs when the application processes malformed multimedia content that triggers an attempt to read memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. Such out-of-bounds memory access can result in the exposure of sensitive data residing in adjacent memory segments, potentially including cryptographic keys, session tokens, or other confidential information. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds read conditions in software applications. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in media players like Flash since they frequently process untrusted content from web pages, making them prime targets for exploitation. Attackers can craft malicious flash files that when loaded by an affected browser or application will trigger the out-of-bounds read condition, leading to information disclosure. The operational impact extends beyond simple data leakage since this vulnerability could enable further exploitation techniques such as information disclosure attacks that might facilitate more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation or remote code execution. The issue represents a significant security concern in the context of web browser security models where sandboxing mechanisms are supposed to prevent unauthorized access to system resources. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through flash-based attacks, and T1041 for data exfiltration through information disclosure. The vulnerability demonstrates how multimedia processing components in web browsers can serve as attack vectors for information disclosure, particularly when they fail to properly validate input data. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader security posture assessment, especially given that Flash Player was widely deployed across enterprise environments. The remediation approach focuses on immediate patching of affected installations, with the official Adobe security advisory recommending users upgrade to Flash Player version 30.0.0.171 or later. Additionally, organizations should implement network-level controls to block flash content where possible, as part of defense-in-depth strategies. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper memory management practices and input validation in multimedia processing components, as these areas remain frequent targets for exploitation in web-based security incidents. Security professionals should monitor for exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability, particularly in environments where legacy Flash content remains active.