Adobe Flash Player and AIR Integer Overflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2016-1010)
Executive & SecOps Summary
SECOPS ASSESSMENTAdobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.333, 19.x through 21.x before 21.0.0.182 on Windows/OS X, before 11.2.202.577 on Linux, and Adobe AIR/SDK before 21.0.0.176
Successful exploitation allows remote attackers to trigger an integer overflow, leading to arbitrary code execution under the context of the current user
Immediately uninstall legacy Adobe Flash Player and AIR components, or upgrade to patched versions if operating in isolated legacy environments
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. For legacy AIR environments, ensure the SDK is updated to a secure version.
# Remove legacy Flash Player packages from Debian/Ubuntu systems
sudo apt-get purge -y flashplugin-installer pepperflashplugin-nonfree
sudo apt-get autoremove -y2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration
Disable Flash execution system-wide via registry policies to prevent accidental execution of malicious SWF files.
# Disable Flash Player execution via Windows Registry Policy
$registryPath = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\FlashPlayer'
if (-not (Test-Path $registryPath)) {
New-Item -Path $registryPath -Force | Out-Null
}
New-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name 'SafeMode' -Value 1 -PropertyType DWord -Force3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands
Scan the filesystem to identify any remaining vulnerable Flash Player shared libraries.
# Locate and identify the version of installed Flash Player libraries on Linux
find / -name 'libflashplayer.so' 2>/dev/null | xargs -I {} sh -c 'echo "Checking: {}"; strings "{}" | grep -i "LNX " | head -n 1'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-2016-1010) is an integer overflow vulnerability (CWE-190) residing within the core parsing engine of Adobe Flash Player and AIR. The root cause is the lack of proper boundary and arithmetic overflow checks when calculating memory allocation sizes for specific incoming data structures. When processing malformed inputs, an integer wrap-around occurs, resulting in a significantly smaller memory buffer being allocated than required.
2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario
An attacker exploits this vulnerability by hosting a specially crafted SWF (Shockwave Flash) file on a malicious website or distributing it via phishing emails. When a victim opens the file using a vulnerable Flash Player or AIR runtime, the engine attempts to parse the corrupted structure. The integer overflow leads to a heap-based buffer overflow, allowing the attacker to overwrite adjacent memory structures, hijack the instruction pointer, and execute arbitrary shellcode.
3. Infrastructure & Business Impact
As a CISA KEV-listed vulnerability, this flaw has been actively exploited in the wild. Successful exploitation grants the attacker the same privileges as the active user, potentially leading to full system compromise, lateral movement within corporate networks, and unauthorized access to sensitive business assets.
Official Vendor Advisories & References
Integer overflow in Adobe Flash Player before 18.0.0.333 and 19.x through 21.x before 21.0.0.182 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.577 on Linux, Adobe AIR before 21.0.0.176, Adobe AIR SDK before 21.0.0.176, and Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler before 21.0.0.176 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0963 and CVE-2016-0993.
Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2016-1010)
FAQQ1. How critical is CVE-2016-1010 and is it actively exploited in the wild?
CVE-2016-1010 is rated CVSS 8.8 (HIGH) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 19.3%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.
Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2016-1010?
Primary impacted vendors include adobe across flash_player, air, air_sdk, air_sdk_&_compiler. Scope summary: Windows & OS X: Flash Player < 18.0.0.333, 19.x~21.x < 21.0.0.182 / Linux: Flash Player < 11.2.202.577 / Adobe AIR & SDK: < 21.0.0.176
Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2016-1010 before patching?
[Mitigation] Immediately uninstall legacy Adobe Flash Player and AIR components, or upgrade to patched versions if operating in isolated legacy environments 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-2016-1010
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