Adobe Flash Player and AIR Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2016-0984) Advisory

1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause

This vulnerability (CVE-2016-0984) is a critical Use-After-Free (UAF) flaw residing in the memory management component of Adobe Flash Player and AIR. It occurs when the application continues to reference a memory pointer after the corresponding memory block has been deallocated. This lack of proper pointer sanitization allows attackers to manipulate the heap layout and trigger memory corruption.

2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario

An attacker exploits this vulnerability by hosting a specially crafted Flash (.swf) file on a malicious website or distributing it via phishing emails. When a victim opens the file or visits the compromised page, the Flash engine processes the malicious ActionScript, triggering the UAF condition. By leveraging heap spraying techniques, the attacker overwrites the freed memory space with shellcode, hijacking the execution flow to run arbitrary commands under the context of the current user.

3. Infrastructure & Business Impact

As a CISA KEV-listed vulnerability, this flaw has been actively exploited in targeted cyberattacks. Successful exploitation leads to complete system compromise, enabling threat actors to establish persistence, exfiltrate sensitive business data, or deploy ransomware within the corporate network.