Security Resilience

CVE-2013-0643

Adobe Flash Player ≤ 10.3.183.67

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD Exploited
Published
27 February 2013
Modified
21 April 2026
KEV Added
17 September 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.11 96th percentile
Risk Priority 90 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2013-0643 is a high-severity Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269) vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, ranked in the top 4% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

The vulnerability CVE-2013-0643 is an improper privilege restriction issue (CWE-269) in the Firefox sandbox implementation within Adobe Flash Player. It affects versions before 10.3.183.67 and 11.x before 11.6.602.171 on Windows and Mac OS X, as well as versions before 10.3.183.67 and 11.x before 11.2.202.273 on Linux, and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8.

Remote attackers can exploit the flaw by serving crafted SWF content that bypasses sandbox restrictions, resulting in arbitrary code execution on the target system. No user privileges are required beyond visiting a malicious page or opening malicious content, and the issue was observed being exploited in the wild in February 2013.

Security advisories and patches from Adobe (APSB13-08), Red Hat (RHSA-2013-0574), and openSUSE direct administrators to apply the updated Flash Player releases that enforce proper sandbox privileges.

The flaw's public exploitation in February 2013 underscores the need for rapid patching of Flash deployments in browser environments.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

The Firefox sandbox in Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.67 and 11.x before 11.6.602.171 on Windows and Mac OS X, and before 10.3.183.67 and 11.x before 11.2.202.273 on Linux, does not properly restrict privileges, which makes it easier for remote attackers…

more

to execute arbitrary code via crafted SWF content, as exploited in the wild in February 2013.

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
17 September 2024

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2013-0648Same product: Adobe Flash Playerboth on KEV
CVE-2012-1535Same product: Adobe Flash Playerboth on KEV
CVE-2015-5119Same product: Adobe Flash Playerboth on KEV
CVE-2013-0641Same product: Apple Mac Os Xboth on KEV
CVE-2013-0640Same product: Apple Mac Os Xboth on KEV
CVE-2015-7645Same product: Adobe Flash Playerboth on KEV
CVE-2014-0502Same product: Adobe Flash Playerboth on KEV
CVE-2014-0497Same product: Adobe Flash Playerboth on KEV
CVE-2012-2034Same product: Adobe Flash Playerboth on KEV
CVE-2015-3043Same product: Adobe Flash Playerboth on KEV

Affected Assets

adobe
flash player
≤ 10.3.183.67 · 11.0 — 11.6.602.171 · 11.0 — 11.2.202.273
redhat
enterprise linux desktop
6.0
redhat
enterprise linux eus
5.9, 6.4
redhat
enterprise linux server
6.0
redhat
enterprise linux server aus
5.9, 6.4
redhat
enterprise linux workstation
6.0
opensuse
opensuse
11.4, 12.1
suse
linux enterprise desktop
10, 11

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-269

Policy addresses roles, responsibilities, and privilege management to prevent improper privilege assignments.

addresses: CWE-269

Access supervision ensures privileges are assigned and managed without improper escalation or retention.

addresses: CWE-269

Assigning group/role memberships and access authorizations (privileges) while reviewing accounts addresses improper privilege management.

addresses: CWE-269

Enforces proper privilege management by requiring all decisions through the verified reference monitor.

addresses: CWE-269

By mandating division of duties across roles, the control enforces proper privilege management and prevents a single entity from controlling an entire sensitive process.

addresses: CWE-269

Implements core proper privilege management by restricting to only required rights.

addresses: CWE-269

Policy requires training on privilege management and least privilege, making it harder to exploit improper privilege management weaknesses.

addresses: CWE-269

Training covers proper privilege management practices, making incorrect privilege assignments less likely.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

blocks

A.5.15 directly mandates determining access requirements, defining/enforcing topic-specific access control policy, assigning rights/restrictions by entity/role, consistency with classification, need-to-know, privileged access restrictions, segregation, formal authorization, and dynamic rules — which stops most improper privilege management from being exploitable; bounded remainder is flawed implementation of those rules (e.g. incorrect mapping or enforcement bugs).

blocks

A.5.18 directly governs the provisioning, review, modification and timely revocation of access rights (including for role changes, termination and privilege levels), which stops most improper privilege spheres from being exploitable even if the assignment flaw exists; the bounded remainder is flaws in the underlying enforcement mechanism itself (e.g. AC-3/A.8.3)

blocks

Defining and communicating authorization levels for each role limits the assignment of excessive or unnecessary privileges.

A.8.15 Logging partial match
finds

Logging every use of privileges and protecting those records makes it harder for an attacker who has obtained elevated rights to operate without leaving evidence.

blocks

A.8.2 directly controls the identification, allocation, review, expiry, temporary use, and separation of privileged rights per policy, which prevents most improper privilege management (CWE-269) by design; the bounded remainder is flawed tracking/checking logic inside the product's own enforcement code (the AC-3 slice of 269).

blocks

A.8.27 mandates security-by-design principles including least privilege, default deny, fail securely, defence in depth, security architecture integration, hardening, and zero-trust verification of every request; these directly stop most improper privilege spheres from being exploitable even if the assignment flaw remains, with a bounded remainder (e.g. certain legacy or safety-overridden controls).

Hardening callouts derived

DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.

References