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US-CERT published three notices on December 17, 2012, describing distinct Adobe Shockwave Player weaknesses. Each involved specially crafted Shockwave content and could potentially let an attacker run code with the privileges of the user who viewed it. The issues involved Xtra installation, a bundled Flash runtime, and legacy runtime behavior—not one flaw and not the separate vulnerabilities Adobe disclosed in 2019.
What US-CERT warned about in December 2012
The three CERT/CC notices describe different ways Shockwave could expose a computer when a user viewed malicious content. The notices do not establish that every Shockwave installation was vulnerable in the same way: exposure depended in part on whether relevant components were available and how Shockwave was installed.
| Notice | Component or behavior | Potential consequence |
|---|---|---|
| VU#519137 (CVE-2012-6271) | Shockwave movies could request Xtras, or extensions. CERT/CC said an Xtra signed by Adobe or Macromedia could be installed without user interaction, and a movie could specify its source. That could allow an attacker to supply an old, vulnerable extension. | Viewing specially crafted content could potentially execute code with the current user’s privileges. |
| VU#323161 (no CVE listed in the CERT/CC note) | Shockwave used its own Flash runtime rather than the system-wide Flash runtime. CERT/CC identified Shockwave Player 12.1.1.151 and earlier on Windows and Macintosh as providing a vulnerable Flash version. | A user viewing specially crafted Shockwave content could potentially trigger arbitrary code execution with their privileges. |
| VU#546769 (CVE-2012-6270) | Legacy Shockwave runtime components could be installed when content requested an older version or did not specify one, exposing users to vulnerabilities in older runtimes. | Viewing specially crafted content could potentially execute code with the user’s privileges. |
How an attack could reach a user
The common requirement was user interaction: an attacker had to persuade someone to view specially crafted Shockwave content. CERT/CC described possible delivery through a web page or HTML email message or attachment. If triggered, the code would run in the context of the user who viewed the content; the notices do not claim that it would automatically gain administrator privileges.
In December 2012, Adobe told SecurityWeek: “We are not aware of any active exploits or attacks in the wild using this particular technique,” and said a fix was planned for a major Shockwave release then scheduled for February 2013. That was a vendor statement reported at the time, not evidence about attacks today. SecurityWeek’s contemporaneous report said no fix was available when the warning was issued.
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What CERT/CC recommended at the time
CERT/CC said it knew of no practical solution for the original issues and described workarounds. These were historical recommendations for the software and browsers of that period, not present-day support guidance for Shockwave.
- Restrict untrusted content: limit access to untrusted Director files and content.
- Mozilla browsers: use NoScript to whitelist sites permitted to run Shockwave.
- Internet Explorer: disable the Shockwave Player ActiveX control. The CERT/CC notices include control CLSIDs and historical kill-bit instructions.
- DEP and ASLR: the notices discuss these system mitigations, while warning that DEP alone is not a complete workaround.
How the 2012 warning differs from Adobe’s 2019 bulletin
Adobe’s APSB19-20, published April 9, 2019, concerns a separate set of seven critical memory-corruption vulnerabilities: CVE-2019-7098, CVE-2019-7099, CVE-2019-7100, CVE-2019-7101, CVE-2019-7102, CVE-2019-7103, and CVE-2019-7104. Adobe said the flaws could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.
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The bulletin lists Windows Shockwave Player 12.3.4.204 and earlier as affected and version 12.3.5.205 as the security update. It also states that Shockwave was retired on April 9, 2019, and that version 12.3.5.205 removed support for the .dir Director movie extension. The 2019 fixes and retirement do not change what the three 2012 notices described.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this means for Shockwave users now
Shockwave is a discontinued product, not a currently supported player to acquire or newly install. Adobe’s discontinued-products support page was last updated February 4, 2026. The 2012 workarounds explain the historical response to those vulnerabilities; they should not be treated as a substitute for supported software or current Adobe advice.
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