CVE-2019-7096 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player versions 32.0.0.156 and earlier, 32.0.0.156 and earlier, and 32.0.0.156 and earlier have an use after free vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/14/2020
Adobe Flash Player contains a critical use after free vulnerability in its memory management implementation that affects multiple versions including 32.0.0.156 and earlier releases. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation processes within the player's runtime environment, creating conditions where freed memory blocks can be accessed and reused by malicious code. The flaw manifests when the application attempts to access memory that has already been freed, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation by attackers. According to the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) catalog, this represents a classic use after free vulnerability classified under CWE-416, which occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after the memory it points to has been freed. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Flash Player process, potentially leading to complete system compromise. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious Flash content that triggers the vulnerable code path during memory operations, causing the application to dereference freed memory and execute malicious payloads. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution as it provides attackers with a reliable method to bypass security controls and establish persistent access to affected systems. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK techniques categorized under T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, making it a significant threat vector in modern attack chains. The widespread adoption of Flash Player across various platforms and applications meant that this vulnerability could affect numerous endpoints, including web browsers, media players, and enterprise applications that relied on Flash content. Organizations running affected versions faced substantial risk of data breaches, malware infections, and unauthorized access to sensitive systems. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction, often only visiting a malicious webpage or opening a compromised Flash file, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where users frequently encounter untrusted content. Security researchers have documented that exploitation of this vulnerability typically involves creating a specific memory layout that allows the attacker to control the freed memory block and redirect execution flow to malicious code. The memory corruption patterns associated with use after free vulnerabilities make them particularly challenging to detect and prevent through traditional security measures, as the vulnerability may not manifest consistently or may appear to work correctly in some scenarios while failing in others. This characteristic makes the vulnerability particularly insidious for defenders who must account for the possibility of exploitation in various contexts. The remediation approach for this vulnerability requires immediate patching of all affected Flash Player installations, as Adobe released security updates to address the memory management issues. Organizations should also implement network-level controls to block Flash content and consider migrating away from Flash-based applications to modern web standards. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management in software development and highlights the long-term security implications of legacy software components that continue to receive support despite known vulnerabilities.