CVE-2017-11292
Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type in Adobe Flash Player version 27
Executive Summary
CVE-2017-11292 is a high severity vulnerability affecting binary-analysis. It is classified as CWE-843. This vulnerability is actively being exploited in the wild.
Precogs AI Insight
"A type confusion vulnerability exists in Adobe Flash Player's ActionScript 3 engine. Attackers host malicious SWF files to corrupt memory and achieve remote code execution across browsers. Precogs Binary Analysis intercepts unsafe type conversions and memory casting."
What is this vulnerability?
CVE-2017-11292 is categorized as a high Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type flaw with a CVSS base score of 8.8. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.
Adobe Flash Player version 27.0.0.159 and earlier has a flawed bytecode verification procedure, which allows for an untrusted value to be used in the calculation of an array index. This can lead to type confusion, and successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
This architectural defect enables adversaries to bypass intended security controls, directly manipulating the application's execution state or data layer. Immediate strategic intervention is required.
Risk Assessment
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| CVSS Base Score | 8.8 (HIGH) |
| Vector String | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Published | October 22, 2017 |
| Last Modified | April 22, 2026 |
| Related CWEs | CWE-843, CWE-843 |
Impact on Systems
✅ Remote Code Execution: Attackers can overwrite the instruction pointer to redirect execution to malicious shellcode.
✅ Memory Corruption: Overwriting adjacent memory regions can corrupt critical application state, leading to privilege escalation.
✅ Denial of Service: Triggering segmentation faults results in immediate disruption of critical systems.
How to Fix and Mitigate CVE-2017-11292
- Apply Vendor Patches Immediately: This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The impacted product is end-of-life and should be disconnected if still in use.
- Verify Patch Deployment: Confirm all instances are updated using Precogs continuous monitoring.
- Review Audit Logs: Investigate historical access logs for indicators of compromise related to this attack surface.
- Implement Defense-in-Depth: Deploy WAF rules, network segmentation, and endpoint detection to limit blast radius.
Defending with Precogs AI
A type confusion vulnerability exists in Adobe Flash Player's ActionScript 3 engine. Attackers host malicious SWF files to corrupt memory and achieve remote code execution across browsers. Precogs Binary Analysis intercepts unsafe type conversions and memory casting.
Use Precogs to continuously scan your codebase, binaries, APIs, and infrastructure for this vulnerability class and related attack patterns. Our AI-powered detection engine combines static analysis with threat intelligence to identify exploitable weaknesses before attackers do.
Vulnerability Code Signature
Attack Data Flow
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | Network packet or file input |
| Vector | Data exceeds the allocated buffer bounds during a copy operation |
| Sink | strcpy(), memcpy(), or pointer arithmetic |
| Impact | Memory corruption, Remote Code Execution (RCE) |
Vulnerable Code Pattern
// ❌ VULNERABLE: Memory Corruption
void process_data(char *input) {
char buffer[128];
// Taint sink: copies without bounds checking
strcpy(buffer, input);
}
Secure Code Pattern
// ✅ SECURE: Bounded Memory Operations
void process_data(char *input) {
char buffer[128];
// Sanitized boundary check
strncpy(buffer, input, sizeof(buffer) - 1);
buffer[sizeof(buffer) - 1] = '\0';
}
How Precogs Detects This
Precogs Binary SAST engine explicitly uncovers memory boundary violations and unsafe memory management functions in compiled binaries.\n