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Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2012-5251

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-10-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 11.1.115.17 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Buffer overflow in Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.29 and 11.x before 11.4.402.287 on Windows and Mac OS X, before 10.3.183.29 and 11.x before 11.2.202.243 on Linux, before 11.1.111.19 on Android 2.x and 3.x, and before 11.1.115.20 on Android 4.x; Adobe AIR before 3.4.0.2710; and Adobe AIR SDK before 3.4.0.2710 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than other Flash Player buffer overflow CVEs listed in APSB12-22.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. The vulnerability affects multiple platform-specific versions of Flash Player (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android) and Adobe AIR prior to the patched releases. This is distinct from other buffer overflow CVEs addressed in the same security bulletin (APSB12-22).

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29 or later for 10.x, 11.4.402.287 or later for 11.x (Windows/Mac), 11.2.202.243 or later (Linux), 11.1.111.19 or later (Android 2.x/3.x), 11.1.115.20 or later (Android 4.x); update Adobe AIR to 3.4.0.2710 or later.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Flash PlayerApplication
Affected:<= 10.3.183.25= 10.1.85.3= 10.1.102.64= 10.2.152.26= 10.2.152.32= 10.2.153.1= 10.2.159.1= 10.3.181.14= 10.3.181.16= 10.3.181.22= 10.3.181.26= 10.3.181.34
Flash Player For AndroidApplication
Affected:<= 11.1.111.16= 10.1.106.17= 10.2.157.51= 10.3.186.7= 11.0.1.153= 11.1.102.59= 11.1.111.5= 11.1.111.7= 11.1.111.8= 11.1.111.9= 11.1.111.10<= 11.1.115.17
Adobe AirApplication
Affected:<= 3.4.0.2540= 1.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.8.4990= 1.0.4990= 1.1= 1.1.0.5790= 1.5= 1.5.0.7220= 1.5.1= 1.5.1.8210= 1.5.2
Adobe Air SdkApplication
Affected:<= 3.4.0.2540

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Adobe Flash Player version on Windows or Mac
    Open a web browser, visit adobe.com/software/flash/about, or in Internet Explorer go to Tools > Manage Add-ons > Shockwave Flash Object to see the version. Alternatively, check the file version of flash32_XX.X.X.XX.ocx in System32 (Windows) or the Flash Player plugin in /Library/Internet Plug-Ins (Mac)
    Affected if Version is 10.3.183.25 or earlier, or matches any of these exact versions: 10.1.85.3, 10.1.102.64, 10.2.152.26, 10.2.152.32, 10.2.153.1, 10.2.159.1, 10.3.181.14, 10.3.181.16, 10.3.181.22, 10.3.181.26, or 10.3.181.34
  2. Check Adobe Flash Player version on Linux
    Open terminal and run: rpm -q flash-plugin or dpkg -l | grep flash, or check /usr/lib/flash-plugin/libflashplayer.so version properties
    Affected if Version is 10.3.183.25 or earlier, or matches any of the specific affected versions listed in the CVE
  3. Check Adobe Flash Player for Android version
    On the Android device, go to Settings > Apps > Adobe Flash Player or check the version listed in the Google Play Store/Amazon Appstore if previously installed
    Affected if Version is 11.1.111.16 or earlier, or 11.1.115.17 or earlier (depending on Android version), or matches any of the specific affected Android versions listed: 10.1.106.17, 10.2.157.51, 10.3.186.7, 11.0.1.153, 11.1.102.59, 11.1.111.5, 11.1.111.7, 11.1.111.8, or 11.1.111.9, 11.1.111.10
  4. Check Adobe AIR version on desktop
    On Windows, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Adobe AIR, or right-click the AIR application icon and select Properties > Details. On Mac, check /Applications/Adobe AIR Installer.app version info or Control Panel
    Affected if Version is 3.4.0.2540 or earlier, or matches any of these exact versions: 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.8.4990, 1.0.4990, 1.1, 1.1.0.5790, 1.5, 1.5.0.7220, 1.5.1, 1.5.1.8210, or 1.5.2
  5. Check Adobe AIR SDK version
    Check the version.txt or AIR SDK version file in the SDK installation directory, or run 'air-sdk-version' command if available, or inspect the Adobe AIR SDK installer properties
    Affected if Version is 3.4.0.2540 or earlier

Your environment is affected if any installed Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, or Adobe AIR SDK version matches or falls within the affected version ranges listed in the CVE.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 11.1.115.17
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29 or later for 10.x, 11.4.402.287 or later for 11.x (Windows/Mac), 11.2.202.243 or later (Linux), 11.1.111.19 or later (Android 2.x/3.x), 11.1.115.20 or later (Android 4.x); update Adobe AIR to 3.4.0.2710 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

Adobe Flash Player 10.3.183.29 / 11.4.402.287 (Windows/Mac) or 11.2.202.243 (Linux) or 11.1.111.19 (Android 2.x/3.x) or 11.1.115.20 (Android 4.x); Adobe AIR 3.4.0.2710; Adobe AIR SDK 3.4.0.2710

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of Adobe Flash Player or Adobe AIR by accessing the Adobe version check page or checking the program's 'About' information
  2. 2. For Windows/Mac systems: Upgrade Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29 (for 10.x branch) or 11.4.402.287 (for 11.x branch) from the Adobe Flash Player download center
  3. 3. For Linux systems: Upgrade Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29 (for 10.x branch) or 11.2.202.243 (for 11.x branch)
  4. 4. For Android 2.x/3.x devices: Upgrade Flash Player to version 11.1.111.19
  5. 5. For Android 4.x devices: Upgrade Flash Player to version 11.1.115.20
  6. 6. For Adobe AIR applications: Upgrade Adobe AIR to version 3.4.0.2710
  7. 7. For AIR SDK developers: Upgrade Adobe AIR SDK to version 3.4.0.2710
  8. 8. After installation, verify the version matches the fixed release and restart any affected applications
Caveat Flash Player reached end-of-life on December 31, 2020 and is no longer supported by modern browsers - migration to HTML5-based alternatives is recommended

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Flash Player Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-5251 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data