Adobe Flash Player ASLR Bypass via Memory Address Disclosure (CVE-2015-0310)
Executive & SecOps Summary
SECOPS ASSESSMENTAdobe Flash Player on Windows, OS X, and Linux within specific version ranges prior to January 2015 patches
Attackers can bypass the Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) protection mechanism, significantly increasing the success rate of subsequent Remote Code Execution (RCE) attacks
Immediately uninstall Adobe Flash Player or upgrade to the patched versions, and disable Flash execution in all web browsers
Affected Products & Version Scope
Remediation & Live Workaround Commands
PATCH & WORKAROUND1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands
Since Adobe Flash Player has reached End-of-Life (EOL), complete removal is highly recommended. If legacy systems require package updates, use the following commands:
# Upgrade Flash Plugin on RedHat/CentOS systems
sudo yum update flash-plugin -y
# Upgrade Flash Plugin on Debian/Ubuntu systems
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install flashplugin-installer -y2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration
To mitigate the risk on Windows systems, disable the Flash ActiveX control via the registry to prevent execution in legacy browsers.
# Disable Flash Player ActiveX control in Internet Explorer via PowerShell
New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000}' -Name 'Compatibility Flags' -Value 1024 -PropertyType DWord -Force3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands
Run the following command to audit and verify if any vulnerable Flash Player components are installed on Linux endpoints.
# Check for installed Flash Player packages on Debian-based systems
dpkg -l | grep -i 'flash' || echo 'No Flash Player packages found.'Block Kernel Privilege Escalation & Ransomware Payloads Before You Can Reboot
Protect unpatched Windows, Linux, and macOS workloads against in-memory exploitation and lateral movement with autonomous EDR.
Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics
1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause
This vulnerability (CVE-2015-0310) is a memory address disclosure flaw (CWE-200) within Adobe Flash Player. The Flash Player engine fails to properly restrict the exposure of internal memory addresses, allowing malicious scripts to discover the layout of the system memory.
2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario
An attacker exploits this vulnerability by hosting a specially crafted Flash (.swf) file on a malicious or compromised website. When a victim visits the site, the Flash file executes and leaks critical memory addresses. This leaked information allows the attacker to calculate base addresses of loaded modules, effectively neutralizing ASLR and enabling the construction of reliable Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) chains for code execution.
3. Infrastructure & Business Impact
This vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild in January 2015. Since ASLR is a primary defense-in-depth mechanism, bypassing it allows attackers to reliably execute arbitrary code on target endpoints, potentially leading to full system compromise and lateral movement within corporate networks.
Official Vendor Advisories & References
Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.262 and 14.x through 16.x before 16.0.0.287 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.438 on Linux does not properly restrict discovery of memory addresses, which allows attackers to bypass the ASLR protection mechanism on Windows, and have an unspecified impact on other platforms, via unknown vectors, as exploited in the wild in January 2015.
Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2015-0310)
FAQQ1. How critical is CVE-2015-0310 and is it actively exploited in the wild?
CVE-2015-0310 is rated CVSS 7.8 (HIGH) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 15.1%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.
Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2015-0310?
Primary impacted vendors include adobe across flash_player. Scope summary: Windows & OS X: Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.262, and 14.x through 16.x before 16.0.0.287 Linux: Adobe Flash Player before 11.2.202.438
Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2015-0310 before patching?
[Mitigation] Immediately uninstall Adobe Flash Player or upgrade to the patched versions, and disable Flash execution in all web browsers Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.
Generate an Internal Engineering Notice or CISO Report for CVE-2015-0310
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