Adobe Flash Vulnerability Currently Being Exploited (CVE-2014-0569)

October 23, 2014

This message is intended for U-M IT staff who are responsible for maintaining and running university systems that allow users to run Adobe Flash.

Summary

There is a critical vulnerability in Adobe Flash that is being actively exploited in large-scale attacks.

Problem

Commercial exploit toolkits are available that can exploit vulnerable versions of Adobe Flash. Widespread attacks are known to be occurring. Adobe has released updates to address this vulnerability. The updates should be installed as soon as possible.

Threats

At least one exploit kit available in underground markets has incorporated exploitation of this vulnerability. Systems running a vulnerable version of Flash may be compromised easily using these automated tools. This vulnerability is currently known to be actively and widely exploited.

Affected Versions

Adobe Flash Player versions for Windows, Linux, and Macintosh are affected. Adobe AIR is also affected.

  • Adobe Flash Player 15.0.0.167 and earlier versions
  • Adobe Flash Player 13.0.0.244 and earlier 13.x versions
  • Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.406 and earlier versions for Linux
  • Adobe AIR desktop runtime 15.0.0.249 and earlier versions
  • Adobe AIR SDK 15.0.0.249 and earlier versions
  • Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler 15.0.0.249 and earlier versions
  • Adobe AIR 15.0.0.252 and earlier versions for Android

Action Items

Update to the latest version of Adobe Flash or disable it as soon as possible.

  • Automatic updates for Google Chrome will include Adobe Flash Player 15.0.0.189.
  • Microsoft’s updates for Internet Explorer for Windows 8.x will include Adobe Flash Player 15.0.0.189.
  • Adobe recommends that users of
    • Adobe Flash Player desktop runtime for Windows and Macintosh update to Adobe Flash Player 15.0.0.189 by visiting the Adobe Flash Player Download Center, or via the update mechanism within the product when prompted.
    • Adobe Flash Player Extended Support Release update to version 13.0.0.250.
    • Adobe Flash Player for Linux update to Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.411 by visiting the Adobe Flash Player Download Center.
    • Adobe AIR desktop runtime update to version 15.0.0.293 by visiting the Adobe AIR Download Center.
    • Adobe AIR SDK update to version 15.0.0.302 by visiting the Adobe AIR Download Center.
    • Adobe AIR SDK & Compiler update to version 15.0.0.302 by visiting the Adobe AIR Download Center.
    • Adobe AIR for Android update to Adobe AIR 15.0.0.293 by downloading the new version from the Google Play store.

Technical Details

The vulnerability involves an integer overflow that can allow memory corruption, leading to the possible execution of arbitrary code.

Questions, Concerns, Reports

Please contact [email protected].