CVE-2012-0754
Adobe Flash Player Memory Corruption Vulnerability
Description
CVE-2012-0754 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service. The flaw occurs when Flash Player processes specially crafted content that corrupts memory, enabling an attacker to gain control of the affected system. Exploitation requires only that a victim visit a web page serving malicious Flash content. CISA has added CVE-2012-0754 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and the EPSS score of 91.3% (99th percentile) indicates near-certain exploitation activity. Flash Player is end-of-life and no longer receives security patches.
KEV Information
CVSS Score
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HOpen in CalculatorAffected Products
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|---|---|
| adobe | flash player | < 10.3.183.15; >= 11.0, < 11.1.102.62; < 11.1.111.6; < 11.1.115.6 |
Multiple CVSS Assessments
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-02/msg00014.html(Broken Link)
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0144.html(Third Party Advisory)
- http://secunia.com/advisories/48265(Broken Link)
- http://secunia.com/advisories/48819(Broken Link)
- http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201204-07.xml(Third Party Advisory)
- http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb12-03.html(Broken Link, Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A15030(Third Party Advisory)
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A15973(Third Party Advisory)
- https://github.com/cisagov/vulnrichment/issues/196(Issue Tracking)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2012-0754(US Government Resource)
Weakness Type
CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
CVE-2012-0754 exploits a memory corruption condition in Adobe Flash Player where the application fails to properly restrict operations within memory buffer boundaries during content processing. This allows attacker-crafted Flash content to corrupt adjacent memory, overwrite critical data structures, and redirect execution to attacker-controlled code.
Learn more: CWE-119 — Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
Impact Analysis
CVE-2012-0754 is remotely exploitable through malicious web content — an attacker simply needs to serve crafted Flash content to a victim's browser. No authentication or special privileges are required, and the attack complexity is low. Successful exploitation results in arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the Flash Player process, which typically inherits the user's permissions. This places confidentiality, integrity, and availability at full risk — an attacker can access sensitive data, install malware, or completely disrupt system operations. Alternatively, exploitation may cause a denial of service through a browser or system crash. The EPSS score of 91.3% (99th percentile) indicates near-certain exploitation, and the end-of-life status of Flash Player means no further mitigations will be provided by Adobe.
Exploit Maturity
CISA has confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2012-0754 in the wild by adding it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on June 8, 2022. The EPSS score of 91.3% places this vulnerability in the 99th percentile, indicating an extremely high probability of exploitation. Adobe Flash Player reached end-of-life on December 31, 2020, and the CISA required action states that the product should be disconnected if still in use. The memory corruption nature of this vulnerability and its integration into various exploit kits made it a widely used attack vector during its active exploitation period. No specific ransomware association has been reported.
Remediation
- Remove Adobe Flash Player from all systems: Flash Player is end-of-life and should be completely uninstalled from all endpoints, servers, and embedded systems, as directed by the CISA required action.
- Block Flash content at the network level: Configure firewalls, web proxies, and content filters to prevent SWF files and other Flash media from being delivered to any systems on the network.
- Audit for residual Flash Player installations: Conduct enterprise-wide scans to identify any remaining Flash Player installations, including those embedded within third-party applications or browser plugins.
- Replace Flash-dependent applications with modern alternatives: Migrate all internal and external applications that rely on Flash Player to HTML5, JavaScript, or WebAssembly-based solutions.
- Enable exploit mitigation technologies: On systems where Flash cannot be immediately removed, ensure DEP (Data Execution Prevention), ASLR, and other OS-level exploit mitigations are enabled to increase the difficulty of exploitation.
Technical Details
CVE-2012-0754 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player that is triggered when the player processes specially crafted multimedia content. The vulnerability occurs when Flash Player's content parsing routines perform operations that exceed the bounds of allocated memory buffers, classified under CWE-119. This memory corruption can overwrite adjacent data structures including function pointers, vtable entries, or heap metadata, which an attacker can leverage to redirect program execution to arbitrary code. The exploitation typically involves a malicious SWF file embedded in a web page or served through an advertisement network, requiring no user interaction beyond visiting the page. The attack can lead to full code execution in the context of the browser process or, in the denial-of-service variant, cause the Flash Player plugin or entire browser to crash.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2012-0754 being actively exploited?
Yes. CISA has confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2012-0754 by adding it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The EPSS score of 91.3% in the 99th percentile indicates near-certain exploitation activity. Flash Player's end-of-life status means no patches will be released.
What products are affected by CVE-2012-0754?
CVE-2012-0754 affects Adobe Flash Player, which reached end-of-life on December 31, 2020. All versions without the specific security patch are vulnerable. Since no further updates will be released, any remaining installation is permanently at risk.
How do I fix CVE-2012-0754?
Completely remove Adobe Flash Player from all systems. Block Flash content at the network perimeter and migrate any Flash-dependent applications to modern web technologies such as HTML5.
How severe is CVE-2012-0754?
CVE-2012-0754 is a critically severe memory corruption vulnerability with an EPSS score in the 99th percentile. It enables remote code execution or denial of service through malicious Flash content, and the end-of-life status of Flash Player ensures that no fix will ever be released.
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