­
The art of reverse engineering flash exploits - All Articles - CISO Platform

The art of reverse engineering flash exploits

The art of reverse engineering flash exploits

Adobe Flash is one of the battlegrounds of exploit and mitigation methods. As most of the Flash exploits demonstrate native memory layer exploit technique, it is valuable to understand the memory layout and behavior of Adobe Flash Player. We developed fine-grained debugging tactics to observe memory exploit technique and the way to interpret them effectively. This eventually helps defenders to understand new exploit techniques that are used for current targets quickly. This information is also valuable in deciding which area should defenders focus on for mitigation and code fixes. Adobe Flash Player was one of the major attack targets in 2015. We observed at least 17 effective zero-days or 1-day attacks in the wild. Flash is not just used by exploit kits like Angler, it has also been commonly used for advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks. The bug class ranges from simple heap overflows, uninitialized memory to type confusion and use-after-free. At Microsoft, understanding exploits in-the-wild is a continuous process. Flash exploit is one of the hardest to reverse-engineer. It often involves multi-layer obfuscation, and by default, is highly obfuscated and has non-decompilable codes. The challenge with Flash exploit comes from the lack of tools for static and dynamic analysis. Exploits are written with ActionScript programming language and obfuscated in bytecode level using commercial-grade obfuscation tools. Understanding highly obfuscated logic and non-decompilable AVM bytecode is a big challenge. Especially, the lack of usable debuggers for Flash file itself is a huge hurdle for exploit reverse engineers. It is just like debugging PE binaries without using Windbg or Olly debugger. The ability of the researcher is highly limited. 
With this presentation, I want to deliver two things: 1. The tactics and debugging technique that can be used to reverse engineer exploits. This includes using existing toolsets and combining them in an effective way. 2. The detailed exploit code reverse engineering examples that can help you understand what's the current and past status of attack and mitigation war. You might have heard of Vector corruption, ByteArray corruption and other JIT manipulation technique. Technical details will be discussed on how the exploits are using these and how the vendor defended against these.

Speakers

Jeong Wook Oh

Jeong Wook Oh is a passionate security researcher. He made DarunGrim - an opensource binary diffing tool. Currently he's at Microsoft fighting APT and exploits. Analyzing hard to crack exploit cases is one of his fun things in his job.

Detailed Presentation:

(Source: Black Hat USA 2016, Las Vegas)

8669803288?profile=original

 

Votes: 0
E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of CISO Platform to add comments!

Join CISO Platform

Join The Community Discussion

CISO Platform

A global community of 5K+ Senior IT Security executives and 40K+ subscribers with the vision of meaningful collaboration, knowledge, and intelligence sharing to fight the growing cyber security threats.

Join CISO Community Share Your Knowledge (Post A Blog)
 

 

 

CISO Platform Talks : Security FireSide Chat With A Top CISO or equivalent (Monthly)

  • Description:

    CISO Platform Talks: Security Fireside Chat With a Top CISO

    Join us for the CISOPlatform Fireside Chat, a power-packed 30-minute virtual conversation where we bring together some of the brightest minds in cybersecurity to share strategic insights, real-world experiences, and emerging trends. This exclusive monthly session is designed for senior cybersecurity leaders looking to stay ahead in an ever-evolving landscape.

    We’ve had the privilege of…

  • Created by: Biswajit Banerjee
  • Tags: ciso, fireside chat

CISO MeetUp: Executive Cocktail Reception @ Black Hat USA , Las Vegas 2025

  • Description:

    We are excited to invite you to the CISO MeetUp: Executive Cocktail Reception if you are there at the Black Hat Conference USA, Las Vegas 2025. This event is organized by EC-Council & FireCompass with CISOPlatform as proud community partner. 

    This evening is designed for Director-level and above cybersecurity professionals to connect, collaborate, and unwind in a relaxed setting. Enjoy…

  • Created by: Biswajit Banerjee
  • Tags: black hat 2025, ciso meetup, cocktail reception, usa events, cybersecurity events, ciso

6 City Playbook Round Table Series (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata)

  • Description:

    Join us for an exclusive 6-city roundtable series across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, and Kolkata. Curated for top cybersecurity leaders, this series will spotlight proven strategies, real-world insights, and impactful playbooks from the industry’s best.

    Network with peers, exchange ideas, and contribute to shaping the Top 100 Security Playbooks of the year.

    Date : Sept 2025 - Oct 2025

    Venue: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune,…

  • Created by: Biswajit Banerjee

National Insider Risk Symposium, Washington DC, USA 2025

  • Description:

    We are excited to invite you to the 10th National Insider Risk Symposium, a premier forum bringing together leaders and experts from both the commercial and public sectors to address the evolving landscape of insider threats. CISOPlatform is a proud community partner for this event. 

    Event Details:
    Venue: National Housing Center, 1201 15th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
    Dates: September 17–18,…

  • Created by: Biswajit Banerjee
  • Tags: national insider risk symposium, ciso, cybersecurity events, usa events