CVE-2017-3080

Vulnerability

A security bypass vulnerability exists in Adobe Flash Player versions 26.0.0.131 and earlier, specifically in the Flash API used by Internet Explorer. This flaw allows a crafted SWF file to bypass security restrictions, potentially leading to information disclosure. The vulnerability is addressed in version 26.0.0.137 [1][2].

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by creating a specially crafted SWF file and convincing a user to load it, typically via a web page or email link. No authentication is required, and the attacker only needs to host the malicious content and lure the victim to visit the page. The Internet Explorer-specific API path is the attack vector.

Impact

Successful exploitation results in information disclosure, where an attacker could read sensitive data from the user's system or from other websites accessed by the browser. While not allowing direct code execution, the bypass may be chained with other vulnerabilities to escalate impact.

Mitigation

Adobe released Flash Player version 26.0.0.137 to fix this vulnerability. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 users can update via RHSA-2017:1731 [1], and Gentoo users via GLSA 201707-15 [2]. Users should upgrade immediately; no workaround is available.