CVE-2019-8075 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player version 32.0.0.192 and earlier versions have a Same Origin Policy Bypass vulnerability. Successful exploitation could lead to Information Disclosure in the context of the current user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2024
Adobe Flash Player contains a critical Same Origin Policy bypass vulnerability that fundamentally undermines web security mechanisms designed to protect user data. This vulnerability exists in versions 32.0.0.192 and earlier, where the player fails to properly enforce cross-origin resource sharing restrictions that are essential for maintaining isolation between different web domains. The Same Origin Policy is a core security principle defined by the World Wide Web Consortium and implemented across all major browsers to prevent malicious websites from accessing sensitive data from other origins. When this policy is bypassed, attackers can exploit the weakness to read data that should be restricted to specific domains, creating a significant information disclosure risk.
The technical flaw manifests in how Flash Player handles cross-domain requests and resource access within its runtime environment. Specifically, the vulnerability allows malicious Flash content to circumvent the normal security boundaries that separate different web origins, enabling unauthorized data access patterns. This occurs through improper validation of cross-domain policy files and inadequate enforcement of domain isolation mechanisms within the Flash runtime. The vulnerability can be exploited through crafted Flash content that manipulates the player's security model to access resources from different origins that would normally be restricted. This bypass affects the fundamental security architecture of Flash Player and undermines the trust model that users expect when browsing the web.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can enable more sophisticated attacks that leverage the bypassed security controls. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially access sensitive user data, session cookies, or other confidential information that should be protected by cross-origin restrictions. The risk is particularly severe because Flash Player was widely deployed across the internet and often ran with elevated privileges in user environments, making it an attractive target for exploitation. This vulnerability affects not only individual users but also enterprise environments where Flash content was commonly used for business applications and internal systems. The potential for data exfiltration increases significantly when combined with other exploitation techniques that can leverage the bypassed security controls.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including disabling Flash Player entirely on all systems, as the vulnerability cannot be reliably patched due to the end-of-life status of Flash Player. Organizations should conduct comprehensive audits to identify and remove all Flash content from web applications and systems, while also implementing network-level controls to block Flash-related traffic. The vulnerability aligns with attack patterns described in the mitre ATT&CK framework under techniques related to privilege escalation and credential access through browser-based exploits. This type of vulnerability is categorized as a CWE-200 (Information Disclosure) and represents a classic example of how legacy browser plugins can introduce critical security gaps that persist long after their intended lifecycle. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security controls and the risks associated with continuing to support deprecated technologies that no longer receive security updates or patches.