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Flash PlayerApplication · Adobe

CVE-2012-5255

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors. The flaw affects multiple versions across Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Android platforms.

MitigationUpdate Adobe Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29/11.4.402.287 (Windows/Mac), 11.2.202.243 (Linux), 11.1.111.19 (Android 2.x/3.x), or 11.1.115.20 (Android 4.x); update Adobe AIR and AIR SDK 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
    Open the Windows registry editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Macromedia\FlashPlayer\Version, or check the file version of NPSWF32.dll (typically in C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\) or Flash.ocx in the browser plugins folder
    Affected if The version number is <= 10.3.183.25, or matches any of these specific 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 for Android version
    Go to Settings > Apps > Adobe Flash Player on the Android device and view the app version information
    Affected if The version is <= 11.1.111.16, or matches any of: 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, or <= 11.1.115.17
  3. Check Adobe AIR version on Windows
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features (or Add or Remove Programs), locate Adobe AIR in the list, and note the version shown
    Affected if The version is <= 3.4.0.2540, or matches any of: 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, or 1.5.1.8210
  4. Check Adobe AIR SDK version
    Locate the AIR SDK installation directory and check the version file (typically version.txt or the SDK description file), or run 'airSDKVersion' from the command line if available
    Affected if The AIR SDK version is <= 3.4.0.2540

A system is affected if any installed version of Adobe Flash Player, Flash Player for Android, Adobe AIR, or Adobe AIR SDK matches the affected version ranges listed for this 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 10.3.183.29/11.4.402.287 (Windows/Mac), 11.2.202.243 (Linux), 11.1.111.19 (Android 2.x/3.x), or 11.1.115.20 (Android 4.x); update Adobe AIR and AIR SDK to 3.4.0.2710 or later.

Recommended fix High confidence

Flash Player 10.3.183.29+/11.4.402.287+ (Win/Mac), 11.2.202.243+ (Linux), 11.1.111.19+ (Android 2.x/3.x), 11.1.115.20+ (Android 4.x); Adobe AIR 3.4.0.2710+

  1. Identify the exact Flash Player or Adobe AIR version currently installed on the system
  2. For Windows/Mac OS X: Upgrade Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29 or later, or version 11.4.402.287 or later for the 11.x branch
  3. For Linux: Upgrade Flash Player to version 10.3.183.29 or later, or version 11.2.202.243 or later for the 11.x branch
  4. For Android 2.x/3.x devices: Upgrade Flash Player to version 11.1.111.19 or later
  5. For Android 4.x devices: Upgrade Flash Player to version 11.1.115.20 or later
  6. For Adobe AIR applications: Upgrade Adobe AIR runtime to version 3.4.0.2710 or later
  7. For Adobe AIR SDK developers: Upgrade Adobe AIR SDK to version 3.4.0.2710 or later
  8. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release after upgrade
Caveat Upgrading Flash Player/AIR may affect compatibility with older content or dependent applications; note that Flash Player reached end-of-life in December 2020 and should be removed where possible

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

Fix this in Flash Player Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2012-5255 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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