CVE-2016-4162
📋 TL;DR
This is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. It affects Flash Player versions before 18.0.0.352, 19.x through 21.x before 21.0.0.242 on Windows/OS X, and before 11.2.202.621 on Linux.
💻 Affected Systems
- Adobe Flash Player
📦 What is this software?
Air Sdk by Adobe
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise via remote code execution, allowing attackers to install malware, steal data, or create persistent backdoors.
Likely Case
Drive-by attacks where users visit malicious websites containing specially crafted Flash content, leading to malware installation.
If Mitigated
No impact if Flash Player is disabled, removed, or fully patched with proper security controls in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Memory corruption vulnerabilities in Flash Player are frequently exploited in the wild via drive-by attacks. While no public PoC is confirmed, similar vulnerabilities are commonly weaponized.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 21.0.0.242 (Windows/OS X), 11.2.202.621 (Linux)
Vendor Advisory: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb16-15.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Visit Adobe's Flash Player download page. 2. Download the latest version for your OS. 3. Run the installer. 4. Restart all browsers and applications using Flash.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Flash Player in browsers
allPrevents Flash content from executing in web browsers
Browser-specific: In Chrome, type chrome://settings/content/flash and set to 'Block'
In Firefox, go to Add-ons > Plugins and set Flash to 'Never Activate'
Remove Flash Player entirely
allUninstall Flash Player from the system
Windows: Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program > Adobe Flash Player
Linux: sudo apt-get remove flashplugin-installer (Debian/Ubuntu) or sudo yum remove flash-plugin (RHEL/CentOS)
OS X: Use Adobe's Flash Player uninstaller
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable Flash Player in all browsers immediately
- Implement network filtering to block Flash content at the perimeter
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Flash Player version in browser: Right-click Flash content > 'About Adobe Flash Player' or visit https://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/Check Version:
Windows: reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayer" /v Version | Linux: dpkg -l | grep flash (Debian) or rpm -qa | grep flash (RHEL) | OS X: defaults read /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/Flash\ Player.plugin/Contents/Info CFBundleVersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 21.0.0.242 or later (Windows/OS X) or 11.2.202.621 or later (Linux)📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Browser crash logs mentioning Flash Player
- System logs showing unexpected process creation after visiting websites
- Antivirus/EDR alerts for Flash-related exploits
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to domains serving .swf files with unusual patterns
- Outbound connections from browsers to known malicious IPs after Flash execution
SIEM Query:
source="browser_logs" AND (event="flash_crash" OR file_type=".swf") AND dest_ip IN (malicious_ip_list)🔗 References
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1079.html
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/90618
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb16-15.html
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201606-08
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1079.html
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/90618
- https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsb16-15.html
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201606-08
